Garden in the South of France, c. 1935

Describing a summer’s day in some Mediterranean location around 1935, when the air was probably shimmering in the heat, Sergius Pauser (1896–1970) provided respite in the cool shade of large trees. The painting Garden in the South of France is a color spectacle, but at the same time conveys a sense of euphony and calm. Despite the bold colors and the energetic manner of painting, which results in a dreamy vagueness, we can still imagine the scene’s natural colors. The house, whose facade is rendered in the same pink hue as airy clouds in the sunset, has turquoise shutters, doors and a window box. A blue patch on the left edge of the depiction stimulates our imagination and might denote a sea view. The trunks of two old deciduous trees frame the composition, while the vegetation on the ground locates the motif in Southern Europe.

RR, 2021