Along the Rivers of Northern France

Jacob first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1899 and quickly established a reputation for his atmospheric landscapes. His paintings were shown regularly at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon d’Hiver, where he received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Hors Concours at the Exposition Annuelle des Beaux-Arts in 1908. He later served on the jury of the Paris Salon, reflecting the respect he commanded within the French artistic community.

The landscapes for which Jacob became known are characterised by expansive skies and calm reflective waterways. Often placing the horizon low within the composition, he allowed the sky to dominate the picture surface, capturing fleeting cloud formations illuminated by shifting light. Tall poplar trees rise from the banks of rivers and canals, their vertical forms punctuating the wide horizons of the northern French plains.

Jacob’s approach to painting was rooted in close observation of nature. Through careful study he recorded the subtle variations of season and atmosphere across the countryside. His autumn scenes carry warm golden tones across fields and waterways, while winter landscapes are softened by pale light and delicate reflections of pink and blue upon snow-covered banks. Spring brings crisp morning brightness, and summer scenes evoke the stillness of warm days beside quiet rivers.

A distinctive feature of Jacob’s work is the sense of calm that pervades his compositions. The foreground is frequently occupied by still water, reflecting sky and landscape in quiet symmetry. Fishermen, labourers and villagers appear occasionally within these settings, engaged in everyday activities such as fishing or harvesting rushes from the wetlands. These figures introduce a human presence while maintaining the contemplative atmosphere that defines Jacob’s landscapes.

Gladwell & Patterson’s association with the artist began in the years following the Second World War. When import restrictions were lifted, Herbert Fuller returned to France with the intention of acquiring paintings for the gallery’s London premises. It was at one of the Paris Salons that he first encountered Jacob’s work. Recognising its distinctive quality, the gallery began acquiring paintings directly from the artist from the early 1960s until Jacob’s death in 1972.

Today Jacob’s paintings remain highly sought after by collectors and form an important part of the gallery’s history. His work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in numerous museums and public collections, including those of the French Government and the City of Paris.

In recent years Gladwell & Patterson has also acquired a small group of drawings by Jacob that the artist would send to friends as Christmas and New Year greetings. Executed in pencil and heightened with white chalk, these intimate sketches reveal the immediacy of his observation and his ability to suggest reflections, clouds and distant horizons with remarkable economy.

Across both his drawings and paintings, Jacob’s landscapes convey a deep familiarity with the countryside he depicted. Standing beside one of his rivers today, beneath the tall poplars and open skies, it is easy to recognise the scenes that inspired him — landscapes that remain much as he saw them more than a century ago.