Josef SIMA (1891-1971): "The Plain", oil on canvas, signed a - Lot 33

Josef SIMA (1891-1971): "The Plain", oil on canvas, signed and dated indistinctly lower right, circa 196?, possibly 1965. 15.5x27 cm. Provenance: Galerie Argos, Nantes, no. 1672 (stamp on back). Jean-Louis Chantreau, acquired from the previous owner, then by descent to the current owners. Jean-Louis Chantreau (1908-1991), a printer in Nantes, received advice from his brother-in-law Jean Le Guillou (1909-1985), an astute connoisseur and collector. He frequented the Argos modern art gallery in Nantes, where he acquired this painting. In this line of art lovers, one of Jean Le Guillou's sons, Thomas, opened the Messine gallery in Paris and wrote a reference work on the Art Brut painter Gaston Chaissac. Close to Surrealism in his early years, Josef Sima drew much of his inspiration from poetry, notably the verses of Pierre Jean Jouve, René Daumal and Roger Gilbert-Lecomte, transforming them into imaginary landscapes. Between 1960 and 1965, Sima's landscapes continued to evolve, becoming less and less conceptual, no longer delivering a message, but rather seeking to convey a poetic experience. During this period, Sima developed his themes through a series of variants exploring geometric forms of chromatic tonality, where light dissolving all matter takes center stage. Not without reference to Rothko's contemplative paintings, Josef Sima's paintings become mental landscapes generated by an inner vision, landscapes of the soul, a synthesis of deep contemplation of nature, inviting the viewer to disengage from the material world to join the landscapes of the spirit. EXPERT: Marc OTTAVI.