André Chiodo (c. 1945) - L'automne sur le versant

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent artwork by André Chiodo, depicting a small rural house protected by a towering tree, surrounded by autumnal vegetation and soft pinkish mountains under a clear sky. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

• Framed dimensions: 43x37x6 cm.
• Unframed dimensions: 27x22 cm.
• Oil on board, hand-signed by the artist at the bottom right.
• The piece is in good condition.
• The work is sold with a beautiful frame (included in the auction as a gift).

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the photographs included are an integral part of the lot description.

The painting will be professionally packed by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to ensure protection. The shipping price covers both professional packing and the transportation itself.
Shipping will be with Correos, GLS or NACEX with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents a contained mountainous landscape featuring a large evergreen tree that rises majestically above a small rural house. The composition unfolds among abundant vegetation, slopes covered in autumnal colors, and pinkish mountains that smoothly fade into the distance. The intense dark foliage of the central tree contrasts with the brightness of the sky and with the yellows, ochres, and greens of the hills, creating a serene, intimate scene deeply tied to mountain life.

The large tree occupies the center and is the most important element of the composition. Its trunk is partly hidden by the branches and by the house roof, but its crown climbs to the top. This marked verticality organizes the landscape and directs the eye from the dwelling to the sky.

The tree silhouette has an irregular, stepped shape. The branches extend to both sides in large dark masses that narrow toward the top. This structure conveys firmness and resilience, as if the tree has protected the small building at its feet for many years.

The foliage is dominated by very dark greens, blacks, blue-gray tones and small violet nuances. Some areas receive a faint light and are differentiated by brighter reflections, while others remain in deep shadow. This alternation adds volume and prevents the crown from appearing as a uniform surface.

The lower branches spread widely and cover much of the roof and nearby vegetation. Their horizontal forms contrast with the upward impulse of the crown. The tree seems to extend over the house like a large natural canopy offering shade and protection.

At the top, the silhouette becomes narrower and lighter. The tip is clearly cut against the blueish sky and adds elegance to the ensemble. Some small branches protrude irregularly, reinforcing the natural feel of the form.

The rural house appears in the central foreground, partly hidden by the tree, shrubs and the lower edge of the composition. Its small size compared to the vegetation and the mountains emphasizes the immensity of the natural surroundings. The architecture humbly integrates into the landscape without trying to dominate it.

The roof constitutes the most visible part of the dwelling. Its inclined surface shows shades of gray, violet, brown and blueish tones. The different color bands suggest aged tiles, small irregularities and areas where light hits differently.

The roof forms a broad diagonal descending to the right. This direction adds dynamism and balances the verticality of the tree. The edges of the roof are defined by dark and light lines that help convey its volume.

The grayish and violet reflections of the tiles establish a chromatic relationship with the distant mountains. The house seems to collect the cool colors of the atmosphere on its roof, while its walls retain warmer, earthy tones.

The visible façade appears built with creams, muted yellows, ochers and small gray nuances. Its luminosity softly contrasts with the darkness of the roof and vegetation. Although partially hidden, it adds a welcoming note to the foreground.

At the lower right extreme there is a dark opening that could be a door or window. Its reddish-brown color stands out against the light wall. This small detail suggests an inhabited interior or an access sheltered from the mountain cold.

The limited dimensions of the opening reinforce the simplicity of the house. There are no large decorative elements, balconies or monumental structures. Everything conveys the idea of a functional dwelling linked to rural work and adapted to the surroundings.

In the lower left area another dark, irregular-shaped structure is seen. It could be a shed, an auxiliary building, a stack of wood, or a part of the dwelling at a different level. Its browns, violets and blacks add weight to the foreground.

This form is partially covered by vegetation. Its integration with the terrain makes it hard to separate architecture from nature. This ambiguity is appealing, as it conveys the impression of an old place where plants and buildings have coexistently lived for a long time.

The foreground is occupied by abundant vegetation in dark greens, bluish and grayish tones. The plants form compact masses around the house, obscuring the lower parts of the walls. Some leaves or branches rise in narrow, vertical shapes.

In the lower right there are several elongated plants that stand out against the light facade. Their dark silhouettes introduce rhythm and depth. The proximity of these shapes makes the viewer feel as if looking at the house from behind a small garden or herb-covered plot.

Next to the dwelling there is a fence or structure formed by light lines in greens. Its posts and crossbars are partially hidden by the vegetation. This element allows imagining a small orchard, a corral or a plot around the house.

The fence provides a subtle sign of human activity. Although there are no figures, its presence indicates the space has been organized and used. Nature dominates the landscape, but preserves traces of a daily life tied to the land.

On the left side rises a hillside covered with trees and shrubs. Its slope climbs toward the top, creating a large diagonal that frames the landscape. The colors shift from dark greens to yellows, ochres, browns and oranges.

The color variety of the hillside suggests a transitional season, possibly autumn. Some trees still keep green leaves, while others show golden and copper tones. This coexistence creates a rich, lively surface.

The canopies are distributed with rounded, overlapping shapes. The trees closer to the viewer appear dark and defined, while those farther away adopt softer colors. This gradation reinforces depth and visually broadens the landscape.

In the middle-left zone there are several shrubs of intense yellows and greens. Their brightness contrasts with the large central tree. These warm masses seem to receive direct light and animate the lower part of the hillside.

Some trees show brown and reddish tones that introduce an autumnal character. Their rounded crowns blend among the greens and create a measured chromatic rhythm. The irregular distribution avoids any sense of monotony.

The hillside slopes down toward the center and is partially hidden by the tree. This overlap increases depth, allowing a clear distinction between the foreground and the middle mountain. The tree acts as a dark curtain against the bright colors in the background.

Behind the vegetation rise large mountains in pinkish, violet and gray tones. Their soft profiles occupy much of the central and right areas. The delicacy of these colors contrasts with the tree’s darkness and conveys a strong sense of distance.

The mountains appear wrapped in a light atmosphere that blurs their contours. No specific rock or vegetation details are seen, only large color masses. This simplification makes the relief serene and almost ethereal.

The peak on the right is wide and rounded. Its pale pink hue relates to some of the tones present in the sky and vegetation. The mountain seems to receive a gentle light, perhaps from early morning or late afternoon.

Toward the center, another elevation is partially hidden behind the tree crown. Its silhouette is hinted behind the dark branches. This overlap reinforces the tree’s monumental quality and places the mountains in a clearly distant plane.

In the lower right zone there are visible trees and shrubs in yellow, ochre and green tones. These shapes appear brighter than the foreground vegetation. Their presence creates a transition between the house and the mountains.

Some distant trees seem grouped in an open area or a valley. Their warm colors suggest fields, autumn forests or sunlit slopes. This space adds breadth and prevents the dwelling from appearing completely enclosed.

The sky occupies the upper part and is dominated by a light blue, grayish and slightly cool tone. Its brightness provides a clean background for the tree silhouette. The absence of clearly defined clouds focuses attention on the relief and vegetation.

In certain areas, the sky takes on white and pearl gray tones. These variations suggest a slightly veiled atmosphere. The pale blue contrast with the earthy and dark colors of the landscape, providing balance.

The overall light is soft and diffuse. No harsh shadows or a visible sun, but evenly distributed illumination. This quality contributes to a sense of tranquility and contemplation.

The color range is organized by the contrast between the greens and blacks of the tree, the yellows and ochres of the hillside, the pinks of the mountains and the blues of the sky. Each color group corresponds to a different plane and helps build depth.

The most intense tones concentrate in the foreground, while colors progressively soften toward the horizon. This transition creates a convincing sense of distance and gives the scene an enveloping atmosphere.

The composition is structured around three main elements: the house at the bottom, the central tree, and the distant mountains. The dwelling represents human presence, the tree symbolizes the strength of nearby nature, and the mountains extend the landscape into a grander dimension.

The large tree acts as a link between earth and sky. Its roots seem to lie beside the house, while its crown rises toward the luminous area. This central position gives it an almost protective and symbolic dimension.

The house, in contrast, conveys intimacy and refuge. Its light walls and dark roof seem to offer protection against mountain weather. The surrounding vegetation reinforces the sense of isolation and serenity.

The absence of human figures intensifies the quiet. However, the dwelling, door, and fence suggest a nearby presence. It is possible to imagine its inhabitants working in the field, crossing the hillside, or staying inside.

The scene evokes a way of life closely tied to natural cycles. The autumn colors, the mountains, and the trees define the character of the place. The house appears adapted to that environment and part of it.

There is also a nostalgic dimension. The small dwelling surrounded by vegetation may evoke memories of familiar places, mountain refuges, or landscapes visited in childhood. Its isolation makes it a symbol of calm and belonging.

The pink mountains bring a poetic quality. Their unexpectedly soft color distances the landscape from a severe representation and fills it with sensitivity. In front of them, the dark silhouette of the tree gains even greater strength.

The composition simultaneously conveys permanence and change. The house and the tree seem stable, while the colors of the foliage announce the passing of the seasons. The mountains remain in the distance as silent witnesses to that cycle.

Overall, this precious painting offers a serene and deeply evocative view of a small rural house protected by a large dark tree and surrounded by autumnal vegetation, with soft pink mountains rising in the distance. The grayish roof, light walls, fence, golden shrubs, and hillside covered with trees build a landscape full of intimacy and memory. The harmonious union between architecture, nature, and atmosphere makes the scene a poetic celebration of shelter, quiet, and the beauty of mountain life.