Othon
Friesz

Othon Friesz, The Oasis, woodcut

L'Oasis

I.F.F. n.d.

woodcut, circa 1908 (?), a fine trial proof impression of the only known state, aside from the first edition of 12*, on fine ivory laid paper with a watermark (shield with a caduceus and the letters CF), with wide margins, signed by the artist in pencil lower right, and annotated with the title in the lower left corner, some slight soiling overall, otherwise in very good condition

P. 93x88mm., S. 313x235mm.

This small print encapsulates Friesz's tight composition and vibrant rhythm, building space in a fantasy landscape that focalizes on the nucleus of habitations in the valley below.

 

* This early edition, of which we have seen an example, was signed and numbered in black ink lower left. There was apparently also a later (posthumous?) printing with the stamped EOF monogram, of which there is an impression in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. See also E. Pernoud, L'Estampe des Fauves, 1994, p. 96, for another impression of this print, although under a different title.
The signature here is also demonstrably early, small and rather cramped, corresponding closely to that on another ca. 1909 fauve print illustrated by Pernoud (1994, p. 95).