Georges Girardot, Gardon, Study For Saint Francis

Trained in Paris by the painter Albert Maignan, Georges Girardot exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1882 and became a full member in 1883. He received several medals for his work, notably in 1883, 1893, 1896 and 1907. The artist became an associate member of the Academy of Sciences, Belles-Lettres and Arts of Besançon and Franche-Comté from 1907. His body of work consists of intimate scenes, portraits but also still lifes. These genre scenes sit alongside works inspired by biblical and mythological subjects. The sirens or saints, painted on large formats, evolve in an omnipresent nature, both realistic and timeless. If Georges Girardot can adopt a tight framing on his characters and his figures are distinguished by a sculptural treatment which gives them a majesty which is reinforced by the realism of the lines. Our pretty watercolor with undulating ichthyological reflections is preparatory to the painting of Saint Francis of Assisi presented at the Salon of 1901 (illustration opposite) represented at the bottom right.