LES PINS DE LA CITADELLE A ST TROPEZ

In this large 116 × 90 cm composition, Hortense Bataille draws the eye into a sublimated Mediterranean garrigue — umbrella pines and wild flowers stand out as golden silhouettes against an intense, vibrant Klein blue background.

The white outline tracing each branch, each petal, each rock gives the whole piece a graphic energy reminiscent of stained glass or Japanese printmaking. The light does not fall upon the trees : it seems to radiate from within them, as though the southern sun had been captured in the very matter of the canvas.

Below, clusters of white and ochre wildflowers carpet the rocky ground, rooted in warm, sandy earth that contrasts with the deep azure of the sky. A perfect balance between graphic precision and sensual colour.