Victor Gabriel Gilbert

(French, 1847-1935)

The Fish Market, Les Halles

Footnotes

Provenance
With Galleria d'Arte Internazionale, Milan.
Private collection, Milan (acquired from the above in 1953).
Thence by descent.

Literature
Galleria d'Arte Internazionale, I Grandi Maeistri dell'800, Milan, 1953.


Réalisme, then, not a term used to designate the production of artists working in a single, recognisable style...It was simply a name applied to those who sought to revitalise the centuries-old artistic tradition of accurate, truthful recording of the world and to give this tradition contemporary relevance.
(Gabriel P. Weisberg, The Realist Tradition)

Victor Gabriel Gilbert - alongside contemporaries such as Jean Béraud, Jean-François Raffaëlli and François Bonvin - was a great exponent of the Realist tradition; having little formal training, Gilbert took inspiration from the daily life of Parisians, especially the street markets and cafés that formed the heart of the city. Among his most successful compositions, Gilbert was adept at portraying the bustling activity within the food market of Les Halles.

In the 1850s, Victor Baltard designed the glass and iron structure that would house Les Halles; for over a century this impressive structure become a significant destination for visitors and citizens alike. The daily markets were a microcosm of Paris, and this was recognised at the time by Gilbert and his contemporaries. Writers such as Emile Zola perceived the activity within Les Halles - sorting fish and carrying of meat by men straining under heavy loads – as a symbol of the energy and dynamism of contemporary Paris.¹ Gilbert in turn was fascinated by the market, by the echelons of Parisian society who flowed in and out, and their interaction as they sampled, presented and sold meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. Gilbert was a frequent visitor and as an eye witness to the activity, produced a number of large canvases exploring this lively centre.

The present work, having remained in a private collection for seventy years, is a major re-discovery and a significant addition to the series of paintings that Gilbert painted in the early 1880s. A prime example of Gilbert's masterful handling of this subject, here we see lobster, skate and a variety of other fish draped over a sturdy trestle table; at the forefront of the composition, a smartly dressed upper-class woman, with a stylish hat and fur trimmed coat, inspects the wares of a stall. The young serving girl, eagerly leaning forward, presents a red lobster, the brightness and vibrant colour of its shell enhanced by the lighter tones of the fish surrounding it. The prospective buyer is accompanied by a maid to her left, who pays close attention, holding a basket already brimming with purchased goods.

Gilbert achieves an atmospheric glow through the variety of light sources: man-made lamps decorate the lofty heights of the structure of Les Halles, while the glow in the recession of the hall and the sun through the glass exterior, permeates the scene. Gilbert became increasingly fascinated by light, influenced by the Impressionists. The work also has the hallmark darker tones of his earlier works and exposure in his formative years to artists such as Bonvin. The viewer's eye is cleverly drawn down the length of the table, to the bustle and activity beyond the immediate exchange. Gilbert, to contrast with the precision of detail in the foreground, employs broader brushwork to the background, which serves to enhance the feeling of scale of Les Halles.

Painted in the same year as the present lot, Gilbert exhibited at the Salon a work entitled Un Coin de la Halle aux Poissons; le matin (Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille). The painting was awarded a second-class medal and purchased by the State. This work offers an alternative view of the fish market to the present lot – here the artist depicts the inspectors determining whether the fish caught and transported that morning meet the standards established for public auction. These works, alongside Le pavillon de la marée aux Halles-Centrales, (1881) confirms Gilbert's status as one of the masters of the Realist tradition. The viewer is afforded a fascinating glimpse into the lively world of 19th century Parisian society.

¹Gabriel P. Weisberg, The Realist Tradition, Cleveland, 1980, p. 217.