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Overview
“I would attribute only one quality to myself: that of being sincere. I work in privacy, when able, and strive to translate as best I can the impressions I receive from nature" - Gustave Loiseau to Thiébault-Sisson, 1930.
With no formal artistic training, Gustave Loiseau shaped his style through the observation of nature and by careful study of his Impressionist forebears. In 1895, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir introduced the young painter to their art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who signed an exclusive contract with Loiseau two years later. Under Durand-Ruel's encouragement, and with the financial independence that ensued, Loiseau was able to travel to various landscapes outside Paris, from the Brittany coastline at Pont-Aven, to the small picturesque towns along the River Seine and the River Yonne. In his later years, Loiseau continued to travel widely and spent a great deal of time in Paris where he had a studio on the Quai d'Anjou on the Île Saint-Louis, the adjacent island on the Seine to that of Notre-Dame. During the summer months, Loiseau would travel extensively to Normandy, Brittany and the picturesque river towns where he spent his youth. His later years are characterised by the systematic exploration of a series of views of the same subject, a method deeply indebted to Monet. Focused upon a single compositional device, the artist thoroughly investigated the different atmospheric conditions of one view point or landscape, capturing his subjects in contrasting seasons. Loiseau was a champion of painting the landscape 'en plein air'. In his quest to create movement and light, in his mature years Loiseau developed a distinct 'cross hatching' technique, called 'en treillis', which resulted in the supple and ephemeral quality for which his work is known. These later works, characterised by a homogeneous and yet vibrating colour structure formed through staccato-like brushwork, was developed from Loiseau's influence of the pointillism of Seurat and Signac. Identifiable through a rich surface, composed using spontaneous brushwork as the pigment is layered upon the canvas, Loiseau's later works reveal the artists experimental nature in his quest to capture nature as he experienced it.
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Works
Gustave Loiseau French, 1865-1935
Voilier dans le Port de Ferrière, les Martigues, Circa 1913Oil on Canvas46 x 55 cms / 18 x 21½ inchesSigned ‘G Loiseau’ (lower left)Price On ApplicationDescription
This work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné being prepared by Didier Imbert.
Painted in 1913, Voilier dans le Port de Ferrière, les Martigues depicts the serene beauty of Martigues—often called the “Venice of Provence.” Loiseau portrays not just the physicality of the port but the atmosphere, light, and mood of a region steeped in history and poised for change. Nestled northwest of Marseille, Martigues occupies a unique space where the Mediterranean Sea meets the tranquil Etang de Berre. Its labyrinth of pastel-hued waterways, charming fishermen’s cottages, and bistros has long enchanted artists. Known as the “Venice of Provence,” Martigues’ beauty provided the perfect setting for Loiseau’s exploration of light and atmosphere.
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