Jim Eugène Sévellec (1897-1971) - A Beach At Camaret On The Crozon Peninsula

Beautiful oil on canvas, this work by Jim Eugène Sévellec, an artist closely linked to the Crozon Peninsula, as well as Brest and its region. Marine painter. Here is a view of a beach in Camaret. Superb and in very good condition. The signature does not yet include the anchor of the official painters of the Navy, which suggests that this canvas dates from before 1936. 34 cm x 42 cm without the frame, 42 cm x 50 cm with. Annotated "Camaret, Pointe de Kervennec(?)" on the back. Eugène Sévellec, known as Jim Sévellec, was a French painter and ceramicist, born in Camaret-sur-Mer on January 21, 1897, and died on May 21, 1971, in Brest. He grew up in Camaret-sur-Mer, the son of a naval officer. Two factors fostered his artistic vocation: his father, who encouraged the freedom of his aesthetic expression, and also Camaret, which was then a meeting place for artists from diverse backgrounds. Among them were the writer Saint-Pol-Roux, and also, in the field of painting... Charles Cottet, Robert Antral. From a very young age, he drew scenes of life in the port. During the First World War, he was mobilized in 1916 into the infantry and served, among other things, as an interpreter for American and Scottish soldiers. It was in this capacity that his comrades gave him his artist's name, "Jim," which was easier to pronounce than Eugène. After his military service, he attended the PTT (Postal, Telegraph and Telephone) school and simultaneously frequented Parisian artistic circles. In 1924, he was assigned to monitor submarine cables in Brest, marking his return home and the beginning of a rich and prolific artistic career. With friends, he created an artistic group called "La Phalange Bretonne" (The Breton Phalanx), and he exhibited at the Galerie Saluden in Brest. Well-established in the local artistic scene, he taught at the Brest School of Fine Arts while continuing his work at the PTT. Jim Sévellec began his collaboration with the Manufacture in 1928. Henriot of Quimper. From that date onward, without ever ceasing to paint, Jim Sévellec provided numerous designs for publication by Henriot. In 1936, along with René-Yves Creston, he was appointed an official painter of the French Navy. For the Tanguy Tower Museum, he recreated the history of the city of Brest through dioramas. He is also responsible for several decorative ensembles for hotels and restaurants in Brest, Camaret, and Dinard.