Charles Bichet (1863-1929) Fauvist Landscape Limousin 1910/15. Crozant School, Limoges Guillaumin

New pastel by Charles Bichet, this time in a small format representing a fauve landscape in Limousin around 1910/1915, signed with the usual monogram CB at the bottom left. Format of the pastel alone without frame 12x16cm or 19x24.5cm with frame and modern marie-louise or 15x18.5cm with original frame. This is indeed a rather unusual format for Bichet, much more used by his son-in-law and student Léon Jouhaud. On the other hand, as usual, whatever the format he gives us a small masterpiece with this fauve landscape, produced between 1910 and 1915 in Limousin, either in Corrèze towards Bugeat, or in Haute-Vienne towards Eymoutiers, or in Creuse towards Anzême; he uses dry pastel in broad strokes in a bright and warm palette of apple green, bottle green, wine red, orange, sky blue etc... I no longer present Bichet, one of the most important painters of Limoges with his friend Eugène Alluaud and his son-in-law Léon Jouhaud to whom he gave his first lessons; he is of course also part of the school of Crozant, since he will set up his easel on the banks of the Creuse, often near Anzême, but his favorite places will remain the surroundings of Limoges, as well as Eymoutiers, or Corrèze, but also La Rochelle and Paris where he was born. Bichet will finally be an excellent painter of still lifes as well as portraits, in short a complete painter who stuck to his time; It has sometimes been said that he was a follower of talent, but this was not the case, because we now know that he produced Fauvist works from 1902/1904, therefore in the middle of Fauvism and therefore at the same time as Vlaminck, Valtat, Dufy, Matisse etc... However, despite some beautiful sales results sometimes exceeding €4,000 or even €10,000 on some portraits, his rating is still very low compared to the quality of his production. For the record, during an exhibition in Limoges where Bichet shared the walls with Armand Guillaumin, the latter could not help but say the greatest good of Bichet's pastels, a remark which will be more than noted and which will be a landmark, as we knew that the master of Creuse was very stingy with compliments, especially towards his fellow painters... Charles Théodore Antoine Bichet was born on December 15 1863 in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. He was a student of Edmond Lechevallier-Chevignard at the School of Decorative Arts in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon des artistes français in particular in 1903, 1904 and 1905. In 1884, he began teaching drawing in the schools of the City of Paris, then he came to live in Limoges where he was also a drawing teacher, he taught many students, some of whom also became painters such as Marcel Merguiller who wrote a book on his master which is now a reference (I am also selling 2 gouaches by Merguiller, do not hesitate to ask me for photos). Painter and watercolorist, initially classical, he then turned to post-impressionism and Fauvism from 1902/1903. Charles-Théodore Bichet died on March 28, 1929 in Limoges. Pastel in perfect condition, delivered in a modern golden baguette with marie-louise, but I could also give its original golden frame if the buyer was interested. Work guaranteed authentic. For information I offer another pastel, as well as drawings, go to my other ads.