René Laforest (1893-1972) Christ Of Mirandol In The Circus Of Montvalent - Lot

René LAFOREST
(Périgueux 1893 - 1972)
The Christ of Mirandol in the Cirque de Montvalent - Lot
Oil on panel
H. 38 cm; W. 46 cm
Signed and dated lower right - 1927

Provenance: Private collection, Périgueux

Son and grandson of a cabinetmaker, René Laforest grew up in Périgueux in the world of wood and its sculpture. It was most certainly thanks to this profession that he traced his first pencil strokes on the material, representing moldings and decorations in grisailles and shading to then work them with his gouges. If we do not know his training, we do know with whom he received his practical lessons. These were Léon Félix and Emile Chaumont, two artists whose palette and brushes were very similar. It is the latter that Laforest feels the most in his works and with whom he shared many painting expeditions. He only exhibited at the Salon Périgourdin in 1925, 1932 and 1950, while he was already working on his works in the early 1910s. In Paris he quickly made his mark in the biggest salons where he sent canvases every year (Artistes Français, Indépendants, Automne, etc.) from the end of the 1930s.

In 1927, the year of the death of his master Emile Chaumont, Laforest produced this painting on the banks of the Dordogne in the Cirque de Montvalent. The place is famous for its cliffs, but also for this large calvary which dominates the river and the entire valley near Gluges and Martel. The tones are not usual, but the effect is striking for this very rarely represented place.