A gorgeous oil on Canvas rendition of a Sunrise over the Venice laguna by French Painter Marie-Joseph Léon CLAVEL.
Marie-Joseph Léon CLAVEL, nicknamed IWILL was born in Paris in 1850 and died in the same city in 1923.
The son of an economist, he spent part of his childhood in Nancy, then finished his studies in Paris.
Though attracted from a young age to Art and painting, he began his active life as an economist, to satisfy his father’s expectations.
At the beginning of the 1870 conflict, he joined the Imperial Army. Taken prisoner, he was detained in Switzerland, where the splendor of the landscapes convinced him to become a painter.
After his release, he returned to Paris and became a stenographer at the National Assembly, but dreamed only of being able to live from his Art.
It was during this period that he kept repeating “I will” which became his painting nickname.
He exhibited for the first time in 1875 at the Salon des Artistes Français under the pseudonym IWill.
He participated in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad and received several awards, including a silver medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1889 and a bronze medal at the 1900 exhibition.
He was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1894.
Iwill traveled extensively during his career and moved his easel throughout France and Europe, particularly in Holland and Italy.
The painter exhibited several times in the United States and, in 1910, the Detroit Museum of Art held an exhibition dedicated to his paintings.
This magnificent sunrise over the Venetian lagoon bears witness to the unique beauty of the setting and the magic of the city itself.
On the horizon, a bluish band traces the silhouette of the City of the Doges, suspended between sea and sky.
The elements fill almost the entire canvas, set between a tranquil sea and a threatening sky heavy with clouds, through which the fiery rays of the rising sun filter.
In the foreground, a fishing boat with colorful sails has just moored, while smaller boats approach to unload the day’s catch.
With a decidedly Impressionist style—suggesting rather than literally depicting the scene, Iwill has captured the sublime quality of this blazing sky.
The energy of the brushwork remains visible on the canvas.
Variations in paint thickness (impasto) create a sense of dynamism, particularly in the center, where the *Serenissima* appears to ignite under the glow of the rising sun.
A rich, vibrant color palette enhances the entire composition.
A masterful, beautifully executed work that reflects the technical prowess of an artist at the peak of his craft.
Oil on original canvas; signed lower right, inscribed with location and dated 1901 on the left.
Presented in a 19th-century gilded wood frame with channel molding.
Inscribed on the back of the stretcher: “lever de soleil sur la lagune” (Sunrise over the lagoon).
Unframed: 16½ x 13 inches
Framed: 25 x 21 inches