Alfred Godchaux - Marine Scene

Oil on canvas depicting a marine scene animated by a boat and large waves. Signed lower right "Godchaux". Original canvas and frame, no repainting, later framed.

Canvas dimensions: 92 cm x 62 cm

Alfred Godchaux, born January 24, 1839 in Paris, on the Île de la Cité, and died May 3, 1907 in Reims, is a French painter whose artistic career is in line with 19th-century realism. A student of Gustave Courbet, he inherited a marked taste for natural scenes and landscapes. He lived successively in Pau, Orléans and Reims, where he died. Painter of seascapes and Pyrenean landscapes, he also distinguished himself with views of Constantinople, Venice, Italy and Brittany. His sons, Eugène (1878-1956) and Henri (1881-1919), were also painters, and the similarity of their favorite themes, particularly in Eugène, known as Émile Godchaux, sometimes contributed to maintaining confusion between their works. An active member of the French Alpine Club from 1880, Alfred Godchaux was passionate about nature, which is reflected in his numerous paintings exhibited in various art salons: in Pau in 1878, in Blois in 1883, and in Toulouse in 1887 and 1895. The critic Paul Eudel painted a vivid portrait of him, describing him as a colorful artist who did not hesitate to paint and sell his works directly in public. Today, some of his paintings, such as The Basque Coast (1878) and Ossau Valley, are preserved at the Pyrenean Museum in Lourdes, while Storm at Sea (1885) is exhibited at the Maritime Museum on Tatihou Island. Through his prolific and varied work, Alfred Godchaux stands out as a unique figure in landscape painting at the turn of the century.