Henri Edmond Cross Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

A lovely watercolour on paper circa 1900 by French neo-impressionist painter Henri Edmond Cross. The work depicts a figure in an alley of trees brushed in cool shades of blue and green. Signature: Stamped with the cachet of the artist's sale lower right Dimensions: Framed: 13"x11" Unframed: 7"x7.5" Provenance: Sale of the artists estate - bearing Cross's cachet reference - L1305a / Lugt Henri Edmond Cross was born in the marches of Flanders. His mother, Fanny Woollett, was English. At the age of 10 he started drawing lessons in Lille, encouraged by a family cousin, Dr Soins. He was taught by Carolus Duran who also came from Douai, Alphonse Colas, and later, after moving to Paris in 1876, François Bonvin. From 1890 he chose to spend most of the year in the Var region. Signac and Van Rysselberghe were regular visitors to St-Clair. During the Fin-de-siècle years, Cross was a friend of the Anarchists, sharing their dream of harmony between man and nature, and contributed to Jean Graves's magazine Les Temps Nouveaux. In the early 1900s he travelled to Italy and was captivated by the works of Tintoretto in Venice. However, Cross was soon overcome by poor health, suffering bouts of rheumatism and eye problems. His stoicism during these difficult times astonished his friends, who also included Roussel, Vuillard, Bonnard, Valtat and Lucie Cousturier. The latter wrote that 'these terrible bouts of arthritis which deformed and paralysed his joints always resulted in younger and younger paintings, like acts of revenge'. Towards the end of his life, Cross visited Tuscany and Rome before returning to Le Lavandou...

Signed with the artist’s estate stamp, Lugt 1305a lower right Provenance: Bernheim Jeune & Cie, Paris (Folio 81 is 15 studies) Note: This possibly is the preliminary drawing for t...