A Lovely Oil on Canvas painting of Le Pré Aux Loups upstream from Rouen by Albert Malet.
Born in Bosc le Hard, north of Rouen in 1912, Malet began painting at the age of 19, benefiting from the advice of his illustrious teacher, Robert Antoine Pinchon, himself a pupil of Albert Lebourg (two masters of the Rouen school).
A talented colorist and luminist, Malet captures on canvas the fleeting atmosphere and fluctuating colors of his subjects.
Setting up his easel in the Normandy countryside, he knew how to allow himself to be immersed in places, the better to transcribe them.
His motto was “See everything, feel everything”
From 1942 onwards, he exhibited at the Salon de l’Ecole Française in Paris, then at the Galerie Legrip in Rouen, and abroad in Algeria, Germany, Japan…
He died in Rouen in 1986.
He is considered the last of the French Impressionists.
Our painting depicts one of Albert Malet’s favorite subjects: the banks of the Seine and the river activity that takes place there.
This view of the Seine with the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Rouen in the background was taken from the Île Lacroix, in an area called Pré aux Loups.
River and commercial activity was very important there in the 19th century.
In the left foreground, the vegetation is treated very succinctly with small touches of different colors that create relief.
These rather dark colors create contrast with the other tones and give depth to the rest of the composition.
The artistic treatment of the barge, the water, the trees on the opposite bank, and the Cathedral demonstrate a spontaneity and a sharp visual acuity that sets the scene for this remarkable composition. The sky occupies the upper two-thirds of the canvas, the brushstrokes remaining very visible; it’s more figurative to successfully convey the misty atmosphere of the banks of the Seine.
Despite an almost abstract treatment in places, the overall effect remains figurative.
It is very interesting to note that only the brushstrokes depicting the waters of the Seine are horizontal; all the others are vertical.
A magnificent work by a pure artist of the Rouen School.
Oil on canvas, signed lower right, in a gilded wood frame.
Unframed 10 3/4 X 18 1/4
Framed 18 1/2 X 26