A Swiss Modernist Painter

Landscape in Blue and Yellow, 1908, watercolor on paper, 8 x 11.7 cm

Landscape in Blue and Yellow, 1908

This landscape miniature, which comes from Evard’s early work, impressively illustrates the Swiss artist’s connection with his hometown of La Chaux-de-Fonds. As in the works of his teacher Charles L’Eplattenier, the silhouette of Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch rises on the horizon. The densely wooded valley slope of the Côtes du Doubs is not infrequently seen in Evard’s paintings. This depiction shows a flower-dotted meadow with a stylized forest area, which is dominated by the mountain range mentioned. Evard’s overcoming of the formal language of his teacher is clearly recognizable here. The organic and stylizing lines as well as the strategic placement of fauvist-contrasting, warm yellow tones and cool, rich to light blue colors emphasize Evard’s early departure towards an abstracting and expressionistic style, through which the artist creates dimension and volume.