A gorgeous Oil on Canvas painting of The Winter Sun on the Banks of the Seine River in Rouen by French Painter Robert Antoine PINCHON.

Robert Antoine Pinchon, was born in Rouen (Normandy) in 1886, where, raised in a literary and artistic environment, he quickly developed a passion for drawing and painting and executed his first canvas on location at the age of 12.
He enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in his hometown, but found the teaching too traditional. Accompanied by Pierre Dumont, they decided to free themselves from the academic style to devote themselves to plein-airism and travel the banks of the Seine, setting up their easels as they went.
They then joined the “free academy” created by the painter Joseph Delattre and rubbed shoulders with other talented artists, such as Narcisse Guilbert, Charles Fréchon, Georges Bradberry and a certain Camille Pissarro.

In 1902 Pinchon exhibited one of his works for the first time in a Rouen gallery.
Aged 17, he participated in his first exhibition with the Société des Beaux Arts de Rouen, where he was noticed by a knowledgeable collector, François Depaux, who took charge of the young artist’s career by buying a large part of his collection.
The exhibitions followed one after the other and the critics were complimentary of this talented artist. His work was well received and he began to make a name for himself, so much so that, in 1909, a gallery orchestrated his first solo exhibition in Paris.
That same year, 4 of his paintings were hung on the walls of the Rouen museum, following the bequest of his patron’s collection.
During the First World War he was quickly mobilized, and wounded twice, was taken prisoner during the Battle of Verdun, then escaped and returned to Rouen in 1918.

The immediate post-war period was a difficult one for artists, as there were few exhibitions and few amateurs.
But in 1922 Robert Pinchon accepted the offer of the Parisian dealer Reitlinger, planning an annual exhibition in his gallery on rue de la Boétie in exchange for priority purchase on all of his work. The Parisian exhibitions allowed Pinchon to expand his clientele and gain more critical attention, with the Herald Tribune recognizing “the vigor of his style and the richness of his palette”, Le Figaro dubbing “Robert Pinchon painter of light” and the Journal des Arts praising “his palette sings with bright and harmonious colors”…
The painter traveled abroad, selling and exhibiting in England, the United States, Norway, Hungary, Poland, Belgium, etc.
He participated for the first time in the Salon des Artistes Français in 1932, and became president of the Société des artistes Rouennais in 1935.
Despite his success, and having to stay frequently in Paris and abroad during his many exhibitions, Robert Antoine Pinchon always remained faithful to his Normandy, to the banks of the Seine and to Rouen.

He died in Boisguillaume, a town bordering Rouen in 1943.
Claude Monet said of him “A surprising touch at the service of a surprising eye”
His works are exhibited in many museums in France and abroad.

While the banks of the Seine remain one of Pinchon’s favorite subjects, it is rarer to see them depicted blanketed by snow.
This painting is part of a very limited series of snow effects produced by the artist.

In a framing very specific to the Impressionists, the painter forces our gaze to read his painting diagonally, from left to right.
Two trees, erected on the left, using the entire height of the canvas, provide our eye with a focal point. Guided by the diagonally placed snowdrift, our eye is naturally drawn to the right, following the snowy road, allowing our vision to be lost in a sublime misty sky.

Pinchon’s snow landscapes have often been praised by critics. And rightly so, judging by the beautiful execution of this winter sun. The painter achieves a rare degree of expressiveness in his rendering of these snowy effects, immaculate in places, soiled in others. The artist has magnificently used his palette to perfectly balance the nuances.
But what can we say about this incredible misty winter atmosphere, which the sun cannot penetrate?
Here again, Pinchon’s immense mastery, the fruit of years spent alongside the Seine, in all weathers and seasons, allows him to immerse us in this misty, hushed, intimate, and captivating humidity.

Note a few details: the warm tones at the foot of the trees, which contrast with the lighter shades and add depth to the overall composition.
The smoke from the chimney mingles with the mist, which takes on beige tones under the influence of a timid sun.

Original oil on canvas, signed lower right, presented in a gilded and patinated wood frame.
France circa 1925

Unframed 18×24
Framed 25 X 31