Charles Bichet (1863-1929) Oil Painting Port Of La Rochelle. School Of Crozant, Limoges, Thomas, Alluaud

New very beautiful oil on paper by Charles Bichet representing boats in the port of La Rochelle circa 1920, signed with the red monogram stamp lower right. Size of the painting alone without frame 24x31cm and 36.5x43.5cm including frame. This is therefore a new very beautiful Fauvist work by Charles Bichet, an oil/paper representing ships at the dock in the port of La Rochelle circa 1920/1925; work from Bichet's mature period, he uses his usual powerful touch, rich in material in places and of course in his usual palette where here purples, pinks, blues and grays dominate. Powerful painting, rather unusual because Bichet painted mainly in his Limousin, he sometimes made a few infidelities by going to set up his easel in La Rochelle or Royan. I no longer need to introduce Bichet, one of the most important Limoges painters 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 Crozant school, 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. Painting in perfect condition, delivered under glass in a modern golden baguette, if the buyer wishes it is possible to remove the glass. Work guaranteed authenticProvenance: Art Set gallery in Limoges.