Georges Marie Girardot (1856-1914), The Marine Cave

Oil on paper, circa 1900, depicting a sea grotto with its skylight. A very understated painting, yet with a powerful presence, signed lower right "G. Girardot." Georges Marie Girardot (1856–1914) was a French painter trained in the studio of Léon Bonnat. He exhibited primarily at the Salon des Artistes Français from the 1880s onward, where he received an honorable mention in 1888. His work focuses on genre scenes, portraits, and landscapes, often rendered in a realistic and meticulous style. He also enjoyed treating some of his subjects with a more reverential style, particularly when painting mermaids. The theme of the sea grotto reappears in one of his paintings entitled "The Sirens." Good overall condition, a small tear on the left edge. Natural wood frame. Dimensions excluding frame: 46 x 36 cm