A beautiful oil on Canvas rendition of the Bouchardon Mill on the Sédelle River in Crozant by Paul Madeline.
Born in Paris in 1863, Paul Madeline grew up inspired by the work of the impressionist and post-impressionist masters, Monet, Pissaro, Sisley, Seurat…
While studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he worked in a publishing house to support himself and painted in his spare time.
In 1894, at the home of Joseph Montet, his friend and editor at “Le Gaulois”, Madeline met the poet Maurice Rollinat and the painter Léon Détroy, both of whom lived in the Creuse valley.
This meeting was to be decisive in the career of the young painter, who went to Crozant that year for the first time and met the master of the place, Armand Guillaumin.
Under his influence, Madeline composed landscapes of unprecedented sumptuousness, handling his brush with vigor and spontaneity.
His palette was enriched with new, more daring tones, dominated by pinks, bluish tones and amethysts in response to the cameo of greens.
He became one of the main members of the Crozant school.
He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1894, 1897 and until 1902.
He obtained several awards there, with the state buying several paintings from him.
Later, he was named a permanent member of the Salon d’Automne, as well as the Salon des Beaux-Arts, the Historical Salon of the ‘Société Nationale des Beaux Arts’.
The success of his exhibitions allowed him to live off his art starting 1902.
In 1908, he created “La Société Moderne”, which included painters such as Lebasque, Raffaëlli, La Villéon. The Devambez and Durand-Ruel galleries were invited to their annual exhibitions.
He died at the age of 57, on February 12, 1920 in Paris.
The Salon des Indépendants devoted a retrospective exhibition of his paintings in 1926.
Paul Madeline travelled all over France and painted many landscapes, with the subtle impressionist delicacy that allowed him to tame, with his technique and colors, a sometimes wild nature.
Our painting is in perfect condition, on its original canvas, presented in a Louis XIV style frame with an old label on the stretcher on the back of the piece indicating that this painting was exhibited during a Art Fair.
It is in his favorite landscape of the Creuse Valley, near Crozant, that Madeline drew inspiration for this magnificent interpretation of the Moulin Bouchardon on the banks of the Sédelle river.
The peaceful waters of the river with its iridescent reflections rush into this bubbling waterfall with white translucent foam, before resuming its winding path.
A majestic tree, already dressed in its autumnal finery, reverently overlooks the nourishing water as if to give thanks.
A reflection on the fact that the same water which activates the mill also nourishes man, whose presence is recalled here by the construction depicted within this nature with its vibrant tones.
The foreground is treated with velocity to better convey the power of the current.
The brush strokes are quick, short, close together, multidirectional, the colors intermingling and exploding in a vibrant kaleidoscope.
Once passed the obstacle, the course of the water seems to regain its calm as it moves away, following the curves of the hilly terrain.
The painter has, starting this point, treated his landscape in a softer way, with the colors softening, blending; the material is smoother and accompanies the gaze towards the painting’s vanishing point while the eye continues to imagine the remainder of the river’s run.
In this work Paul Madeline has transcended himself to brilliantly transcribe this landscape, mixing the immobility of the mill, the speed of the torrent and the placidity of the tree.
He made this scene alive and palpable, giving us the possibility of feeling the force of the current emerging from under our feet.
It is an exceptional work by this artist of immense recognized talent, whose works are presented in several museums in France and abroad.
Oil on Canvas
Dimensions :
The Canvas measures 26 X 32 inches
The Frame Measures 32 X 38 inches