Robert Ibanez – Winter Street Scene

This evocative watercolor by French artist Robert Ibanez captures a snow-covered village street under a heavy, wintry sky. Painted in 1978, the work is rendered in a restrained monochrome palette, with delicate washes of grey, black, and sepia—hallmarks of Ibanez’s poetic sensitivity to atmosphere and memory. Snow blankets the rooftops and pavements, softening the hard outlines of the stone buildings and muffling the quiet life within, evoking a deep sense of solitude and calm.

Ibanez’s expressive brushwork and loose perspective lend the painting a dreamlike, almost melancholic tone. As in much of his work, light and shadow emerge less from direct observation than from recollection—conveying not just a place, but the emotional atmosphere of winter itself.

Robert Ibanez (1931–2021) was a French painter celebrated for his lyrical landscapes, evocative urban scenes, and emotionally resonant portrayals of memory and light. Born in La Motte-d’Aveillans near Grenoble, he came from a family of miners and endured a life marked by hardship. The early death of his father forced Ibanez into the coal mines at a young age. After health issues and professional setbacks, a chance encounter with Victor Miard—a teacher and artist—became a turning point, introducing Ibanez to painting, sculpture, and artistic expression.

Self-taught and driven by an unyielding belief in his artistic path, Ibanez developed a distinctive visual language that blended classical structure with modern abstraction. He favored a muted, earthy palette and imbued his scenes—whether of sunlit villages, rain-drenched streets, or quiet harbors—with a strong sense of introspection. Light, both literal and metaphorical, played a central role in his compositions.

Influenced by Post-Impressionism and lyrical abstraction, Ibanez’s work often echoes the sensitivity of Nicolas de Staël or the subtle tonality of Albert Marquet, yet remains unmistakably his own. His paintings are characterized by their emotional stillness, thoughtful composition, and timeless quality.

Over the course of his career, Ibanez exhibited widely throughout France and Europe, including in Paris, Lyon, and Barcelona. His work is held in private collections and regional museums, admired for its quiet power and contemplative beauty.

Robert Ibanez passed away in 2021, leaving behind a body of work that continues to offer viewers a meditative connection to landscape, memory, and the enduring light of lived experience.

Artist: Robert Ibanez (1931-2021)
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
Medium: Watercolour on paper.
Condition: Excellent condition.
Dimensions: 30 x 40 cm. / 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.
Frame: 40 x 50 cm. / 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. Wood, mat and glass.

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