Oil painting on canvas of two figures by Andre Bauchant, d1920.

Frame: 26 x 19
Painting: 24 3/4 x 17 1/2"

Andre Bauchant
Davids notes: We went back and fourth on this work from gouache to drawing to painting, but we finally took it apart and determined it is oil on canvas.Bauchant is auctioned around the world, at Christies and Sothebys as well as smaller French auction houses, with a range of 975.00 to 12,000.00, but mostly in the 2000.00 to 8000.00 range.His most expensive works are brightly colored works depicting vegetation, fauna and children.

(Wiki): Andre Bauchant (April 24, 1873 to August 12, 1958) was a French naive painter. He is known mostly as a painter of flowers and of landscape compositions with figures which were often informed by mythology and classical history. He was born in Chateau-Renault, Indre-et-Loire. The son of a gardener, he originally entered his father's trade, and progressed to operating a nursery.[1] In 1914, he was called to serve in World War I. During the military service his drawing skills were noticed and he was trained as a mapmaker. After demobilization in 1919 he found his nurseries destroyed. He and his wife relocated to Auzouer-en-Touraine, where he found work on local farms. Inspired by the rural environment, at the age of 45, he dedicated himself to a career as a painter.[3]Many of his early works depict biblical or mythological themes. His first exhibit was in 1921 at the Salon d'Automne, where he showed a large Ulysses and the Sirens and eight other paintings.[1] Le Corbusier and Amedee Ozenfant wrote an article about him for the journal L'Esprit Nouveau in 1922, and Le Corbusier became an important collector of his work.

In 1927 Bauchant was commissioned by Diaghilev to design sets for Stravinsky's Apollon Musagète. Subsequently, Bauchants most frequent subjects were floral still-lifes and landscapes with figures. In 1937 his paintings were included in the exhibition Maîtres Populaires de la Réalité, which traveled to Paris, Zurich, and London. In 1938–1939, a version of the same exhibition was presented at eight US museums, beginning with the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[1] In 1949, a retrospective exhibition of 215 of his works was mounted by the Galerie Charpentier in Paris.

According to the art historian Nadine Pouillon, Bauchant's treatment of figures, frozen in attitudes indicating a certain awkwardness and as if enshrined in foliage, manifest a poetic and mysterious quality sometimes reminiscent of medieval paintings. This association was further emphasized by his use of unglazed colours in the manner of quattrocento frescoes and by a colour sense similar to that of Giotto."

Provenance: Estate of Charles Haar and Suzanne Keller, by descent Susan Haar.

(Obituary from the Crimson.com):Charles February 2, 2012 Harvard Law School professor emeritus Charles M. Haar, known for his ability to identify innovative solutions to issues of land use and environmental policy, died of congestive heart failure last month in Miami. He was 91.In the classroom, Haar taught on legal matters related to urban planning, environmental law, corporate finance, housing law, and other fields. He put that expertise to work as an adviser to three presidents and a multitude of projects worldwide. He was a real polymath; said University of Florida law professor Michael A. Wolf, who worked as a research assistant to Haar as a graduate student and continued to collaborate with him for thirty years.

Colleagues said that Haars career had a lasting impact on others in the field he helped pioneer. He had a long, productive life; said Thompson Potter, who worked as Haars assistant at the Law School for 15 years.He was a very self-made person. He created a field of law and had a big impact on what people feel about city planning;vBefore receiving his degree from the Law School in 1948, Haar served under General Douglas MacArthurs command in Naval intelligence.vHe began teaching at the Law School in 1952 and was appointed as professor emeritus in 1991.In the 1960s, Haar began working in government, serving as an adviser on urban development and the environment in the Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter administrations. He chaired Johnsons National Task Force on the Preservation of Natural Beauty and later helped organize the first White House conference on the environment in 1965.Haar wrote several books, including one about housing law entitled Suburbs under Siege; and one called Mastering Boston Harbor: Courts, Dolphins, and Imperiled Waters; which was published in 2005. Both of those works are now featured in a display case dedicated to Haar by the circulation desk at the Law School library. Mastering Boston Harbor; discussed Haars involvement as a court-appointed special master on a case filed by the city of Quincy against the Boston sewer system. As a result of the trial, the state passed the Massachusetts Water Resources Act and launched a clean-up of Boston Harbor. Haars role required a combination of knowledge of the law, some passion, some political said Steven G. Horowitz, who worked with Haar on the case and was his student at the Law School. Wolf noted that Haar could analyze complicated situations quickly to generate possible solutions. He could cut to the kernel of an issue immediately, Wolf said. He did not think and ponder as we normal mortals do. His ideas came out of his head fully formed. It was an amazing thing to watch.

Haar also served as a fellow for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge for half a century. His passion for he was a connoisseur of drawings, according to Potter led him to advise the Fogg Museums Department of Drawings and even donate pieces.

Note David Killen Gallery removes hundreds of works of art from NYC homes every year. Statements made by the gallery regarding authenticity are opinions only and should not be construed as fact. Anyone unsure of the authenticity of a work of art should consult an expert.

Good condition overall