Lot 64 D

This motif from the south of France, which features a lane lined with plane trees, may have appealed to Mela Muter for two reasons: in addition to the striking beauty of the trees, there were surely also the constructive compositional possibilities offered by this vista.
The plane was of particular significance to the painter and she admired the majestic form of these trees: “With its soft and velvety bark in the colours of blonde hair and green water, the plane is the king of trees. It grows along the streets, fills little squares, forces its way into gardens, bounds city walls and accompanies those who depart, as though it would never leave them on their own …” (Mela Muter, in: De París a Girona. Mela Muter i els artistes polonesos a Catalunya, exh. cat. Museu d'Art de Girona 2018/19, S. 137, translated from Catalan).
Muter has placed the trees at the centre of her vibrant, but nonetheless carefully and thoroughly composed image. The diagonal trunk of the plane tree in the foreground forms the foundation of the compositional structure; the row of trees that continues into the background follows a sequence that steadily progresses from a diagonal to a vertical orientation. The lineation of the trunks intersects with the receding lines that run along the lane, the canal and the wall parallel to the road and which seem to lead infinitely far into the depicted space.
The striking bark of the plane trees, with its vivid texture and silvery smoothness, is harmoniously combined with the warm light-grey and earth tones of their surroundings; the blue of the water and sky establish lively accents and can also be found in the contours of the trunks. A pair of figures and the interrupted forms of the buildings underscore the close connection that the artist depicts between the plane trees and the Mediterranean townscape.