Seascape In Algeria By Léon Carré (1878-1942)

Oil on cardboard, signed and dated 1909 lower right

This oil on cardboard depicts an Algerian coastal scene structured in two distinct planes: a bright sky and a calm sea in the upper section, contrasted with dense vegetation in the foreground.
The application of paint, with thick and visible strokes, reveals a modern and bold approach for its time. The deliberately free rendering of forms emphasizes this innovative character, far removed from traditional academicism.
This work illustrates Carré’s transition towards a more contemporary pictorial expression, already affirmed upon his settlement in Algeria.

A French painter and illustrator, Léon Carré trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Léon Bonnat and Luc-Olivier Merson.
Winner of the prestigious Villa Abd-el-Tif scholarship in 1909, he settled in Algiers, where he developed a refined orientalist œuvre, working in oil as well as gouache and pastel.
Major public collections—including the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Algiers—hold several of his works.

Dimensions of the work: 27 × 35 × 0.5 cm (10 5/8 × 13 3/4 × 1/4 in.) 
Dimensions with frame: 41 × 49.5 × 4 cm (16 1/8 × 19 1/2 × 1 5/8 in.)