A peaceful Oil on Canvas depiction of a pond 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 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.
Iwill invites us here to share this moment of tranquility beside the calm waters of a pond.
In a well-balanced composition, a horizontal line, represented by the rushes at the edge of the trees, divides the canvas into two equal parts.
The lower part, representing the waters of the lake, mirrors the upper part.
Apart from the lower left corner, where the colors are bold, the rest of the canvas is treated in much softer tones.
The colors blend together to reinforce the effect of enveloping mist, reminiscent of some of Monet’s works.
The palette evolves through a range of purplish-gray tones, combined with the greenish-beige of the vegetation, which gives the whole a muted atmosphere.
A masterfully executed work, magnificently rendered, reflecting tranquility and calm.
Original oil on canvas, signed lower right, presented in a patinated wooden frame.
Unframed 21½ x 15 inches
Framed 29 X 22 inches