Joseph Hurard (1887-1956) Sunny Provençal Alley

A beautiful work on Provençal light, material with beautiful touches of paintbrushes and brushes leaving room for the reserves of the support (cardboard), the picturesque subject of a few chickens in an old village street near Avignon (certainly Villeneuve where the artist had his habits) for this oil on cardboard by the painter Joseph Hurard. The work in its good original condition is offered in a period frame which will be restored or changed which measures 76 cm by 58 cm and 52 cm by 36.5 cm for the cardboard panel alone. A great specialist in the views of Martigues and the surrounding area of Avignon, this work, which is signed lower right, wonderfully restores the light and colors of the south.

Born in Avignon in 1887, he first worked in a drugstore. Selling canvases and colors to Avignon artists, he meets them on Sundays to paint with them. His talent noted, he was part of the “Group of Thirteen” created in 1912 by Clément Brun, of whom he was the youngest. He became friends with Joseph Meissonnier and participated with the group in a first exhibition on December 21, 1912 which was a great success, followed by a second exhibition on December 18, 1913, which was also the last of the Group. In this crucible, he meets elders already touched by fame like Lina Bill or Auguste Chabaud. Among the most gifted designers of his generation, painting with disconcerting ease, he quickly stood out. Unfortunately Hurard did not go to study at the Beaux-Arts which we may regret because he would probably have been one of the greatest painters of his time. He died in Martigues in 1956. Exhibition at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris Exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants, Paris Retrospective in Martigues in 1956 Works in Public Collections Calvet Museum in Avignon Ziem Museum in Martigues Regards de Provence Foundation in Marseille