Ferdinand Loyen du Puigaudeau
(French, 1864-1930)

"Marais Salants Pres du Croisic"

oil on panel
signed lower right.
7-1/4" x 9-1/8", framed 15-1/4" x 17"

Provenance: Sotheby's, Paris, July 3, 2008, lot 308.

Notes: This painting is to be included in Antoine Laurentin's forthcoming Le catalogue raisonne des peintures de Ferdinand du Puigaudeau.

A painter in the Impressionistic style, Puigedeau received a traditional education in his native Nantes before travelling to Italy and Tunisia. Upon his return to France he spent some time in the Breton city of Pont-Aven, becoming an integral part of the thriving artistic community and befriending fellow artists Paul Gaugin, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Pierre-August Renoir; these artists were to be forces behind the "Pont-Aven School" which emphasized the use of bold, light-infused colors. This approach is clearly evident in Puigaudeau's work which is known for its distinctive wide range of vivid colors and understanding of how light can shape landscapes and objects, creating a certain mood. The intimate painting here is a wonderful example of the artist's style: A village bathed in the mid-day sun, serenely combining the small, energetic brushstrokes of the poppies in the foreground we associate with the Impressionists, together with the strong linear definition of the rooftops beyond.