The Dutch Smoker By Emile Mesnager (1880-1940)

Oil on panel, circa 1900, depicting the portrait of a Dutchman smoking a pipe. A very atypical subject for the artist, it was probably a special commission or the artist's desire to reproduce 17th-century Dutch work. Signed twice "Emile Mesnager." Émile Mesnager (1880-1940) was a French painter born in Nantes, where he lived and worked his entire life. He belongs to the Post-Impressionist movement. His style blends Divisionist and Pointillist techniques. In the second part of his career, he also devoted himself to the restoration of artworks, notably at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes. The panel needs cleaning; there are traces of uneven varnish and some rubbing, particularly along the edges. Dimensions: 35 x 27 cm