Louis Decoeur (1884-1960) "the Bistro" Circa 1940

"Le Bistro", oil on canvas circa 1940, good condition, signed lower rightDim. 70 x 87 cmPainter and wood engraver, Louis-François Decoeur was born in 1884 in Namur, died in 1960. Powerful constructive lines and strength of layout characterize the work of this artist. From 1910, he exhibited at the Indépendants. He also became a member of L'Effort and met the Brabant Fauves there. After the armistice, he participated in several triennial salons in Antwerp, Liège and Ghent, as well as in numerous group exhibitions. Private exhibitions of his works took place at Sélection in 1922 and at the Manteau gallery in 1924. His synthetic style evolved towards an expressionism that sometimes recalls the work of Jean Brusselmans. It is characterized by very clear contours. Expressionism is a modernist movement born in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its distinctive feature is to present the world solely from a subjective point of view, radically distorting it in order to evoke emotions, moods, or ideas. Everything, at Decoeur, is reduced to lines and colors that have something to say. In this small bistro, the regulars are simplified to the point of revealing only their intentions. Colors sing around the waitress's white apron. Softly luminous, the panes of a glass window enliven the background. In The Street, all lives are entangled to form life. In the foreground, two figures represent opposing conceptions: on one side, the naive young man, on the other, the worn face of a frivolous woman. His art is so sober and naive that it makes one believe in universal beauty, in universal goodness. There is something passive, tender, warm, contained, very discreet: something that charms deeply. Sold in 1998: Louis DECOEUR (1884-1960) Follow The bistro Lot N° 445 Painting Oil/canvas 70 x 87 cm Hammer price: €2,725 (110,000 BEF) 01/04/1998 Palais Des Beaux-Arts- Servarts Brussels, Belgium