Skip to main content
Sunshine On The Riviera by Henri Joseph Harpignies
Sunshine on the Riviera
Sunshine On The Riviera by Henri Joseph Harpignies
Sunshine On The Riviera by Henri Joseph Harpignies

Sunshine on the Riviera

Artist (Valenciennes, France, 1819 - 1916)
Date1899
Mediumoil on canvas
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 131.3 cm, Width: 166.2 cm
Frame: Height: 175.5 cm, Width: 210.4 cm
AcquisitionPresented in 1929 by Sir James Murray.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG002698
About MeHarpignies travelled to Italy in 1863 and again in 1865 and the influence of Italian landscape painting - especially the idyllic, panoramic landscapes of Claude and Poussin - is very noticeable in his work. Returning to France he found favour with the art establishment, winning medals at the Paris salons of 1866, 1868 and 1869. In 1875 he was awarded the Legion d'honneur.

The poetic charm of his work is marked and the artists of the Barbizon School - including Rousseau and Daubigny - were greatly influenced by his paintings. In his old age failing eyesight forced him to generalise his manner, so that his landscapes became less accurate depictions of a particular area of France and more visionary and ethereal.

Here the subject is a view of Cap Martin on the French Riviera. The magnificent large trees dominate the scene but its essence is the way in which this landscape has been transformed into a dreamlike vision by the artist's ability to capture the quiet gentleness of early morning light on the Mediterranean scene.


More About Me
A view of Cap Martin on the Riviera by Harpignies. It is dominated by large trees, but overall has a rather dreamlike vision of early morning on the Mediterranean