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Oil on canvas signed Emile Simon* representing Bretons and Bretons in costume gathered during a pardon or a village festival, near a church or chapel in Brittany, from the 20th century.
This painting is in good condition. Signed lower right.
A note: slight wear of time, see photos.
is a French painter. He was first a student at the School of Fine Arts in Rennes, then in Paris. He won the Prix de Rome in 1912 but left his place to an older competitor. Émile Simon earns his living by designing for Parisian jewellers. In 1913, he left for Cairo where he found a job as a teacher. This stay will later inspire him with some paintings painted from memory. After his mobilization during the First World War, he fell seriously ill with the Spanish flu in 1917, and was repatriated to hospital in Rennes. He recovered, then found a job as a teacher at the Nantes School of Fine Arts. He draws his inspiration from the Breton landscapes and the inhabitants of this region in their traditional and daily activities. In 1943, he moved to the Squividan manor in Clohars-Fouesnant (Finistère). In this corner of greenery and tranquility, he will continue most of his work. He tirelessly travels the roads of Brittany, seeking the landscape, the scene of rustic life, the ports, the old streets, the typical characters. He paints Vitré, Josselin, Vannes, Tréguier, Dinan, Quimper, these old towns that have charmed him. He fixes the landscapes of Finistère with Guissény, Porspoder, Camaret, Douarnenez, Pont-Croix, Audierne and Penmarc'h. He painted inland with Rumengol, Lannédern, La Chapelle Saint-Côme near Chateaulin. He was also seduced by Auray and its surroundings, Saint-Goustan, Saint-Avoye, Plescop.
Artist well rated on Artprice
