Galerie Pierre Maurs, Paris, Peinture et Pastels de Philippe Smit, February 04, 1948, no. 91, as Village de Reclose [sic], 1938 (CT); this pastel corresponds most probably to this number of the catalogue.

Literature & Primary Sources

No known published references.

Notes

This road, which on a spring day is bordered by lilacs and laburnum, is in Recloses, near Fontainebleau. This small provincial village used to be named Reclosas, which means a clearing by a forest. The artist seems to have discovered it in the winter of 1911-1912.¹Having sought refuge in the Netherlands during the First World War, Smit went back to Recloses in 1920 with his friends and patrons Nicolaas and Berendina Urban for short stays at the village hotel, allowing him to produce several drawings of the forest.²Charmed by the place and its surroundings, the Urbans bought a property there at 3 rue Sainte-Reine in 1922. They arranged a studio for their protégé.³ Even after Smit bought the Château de la Motte [PS306], he remained faithful to Recloses. He went back and stayed there regularly until his death.
During his exile in Pau,⁴ Smit wrote to Nicolas Urban: "I am nostalgic for a corner of forest, our dear forest of Recloses, all of its places that whisper the reverie of my work."⁵

1. See Chronology 1886-1913.
2.See Massé 1920-1935, 2 December 1920, p. [5].
3. See Chronology 1921-1928, 1929-1939, and Massé 1920-1935, 10 November 1929 p. [7-8].
4. See Chronology 1940-1948.
5. PS, ALS to the Urbans, [around December 1941].

Record last updated February 25, 2020. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.

Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "Lane in Recloses, 1928–35 (PS 307)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=307 (accessed on May 10, 2025).

Pursuant to the provisions of the Code of Intellectual Property concerning copyright, any document of any nature contained in this site will be the exclusive property of the Philippe Smit endowment fund. Its use or reproduction, even partial, without prior written authorisation of the Philippe Smit Fund is forbidden, save for the exceptions provided for at article 125-5 of the Code of Intellectual Property.