The Poplars By Clément Serveau (1886-1972)

Oil on canvas by Clément Serveau (1886-1972) depicting charming reflections of poplar trees along a river. A beautifully expressed, peaceful, and luminous scene with a lovely sense of depth. Clément Serveau (1886-1972) Born in Paris in 1886, Henri Clément Serveau (known as Clément-Serveau) showed an early aptitude for drawing. He received initial training at the École nationale des arts décoratifs from 1904 before entering the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts. Alongside his work as an illustrator, Clément-Serveau pursued a career as a painter, particularly as a portraitist sought after by Parisian high society. He gradually moved away from academic constraints and created a freer style of work, both in composition and color. He exhibited in numerous salons and galleries alongside other leading figures of his time, such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Georges Rouault, and Kees van Dongen. Clément-Serveau was deeply affected by the various revolutions that marked the history of 20th-century painting. He had his figurative period, his Neo-Cubist period (from 1930 to 1950), and finally, his abstract period. A sense of proportion and harmony was the common thread running through his work. A student of the École des Arts Décoratifs and of Louis-Olivier Merson, he made his debut in 1905 at the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon des Artistes Français. Awarded a first medal in 1929, he subsequently exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. He then participated in the Exhibition Cruise of the ocean liner Maréchal-Joffre, was invited to the Exhibition Train, and also in exhibitions of French art in London, the United States, Canada, Sweden, and the Balkans. In 1913, he directed the fresco workshop at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts and in 1935 was commissioned to organize an exhibition at the Petit Palais of a group of "Artists of This Time." During this period, he created frescoes, stained glass windows, and Stations of the Cross for the Carnavalet Museum and a Franciscan chapel. Works by Clément-Serveau, a Knight of the Legion of Honor, are held in the Musée du Luxembourg, the Musée d'Art Moderne, the Petit Palais, the museums of Nantes, Le Havre, Rouen, and Lille, as well as in the United States, Canada, and Greece. Frame dimensions: 60.5 x 52.4 cm. Canvas dimensions: 55 x 46.5 cm. Delivery via Colissimo, with appropriate packaging. €45 for France; quote available for other destinations. Contact me at +33 6 78 87 61 61