Adrien Godien – The Village Of Sathonay – Pastel – Signed And Dated

This pastel work testifies to Adrien Godien's attachment to the landscapes of the Lyon region. The artist depicts the village of Sathonay with a synthetic and colorful vision that reveals his mastery of the pastel technique.

The composition is organized in successive planes, from the striated fields of the foreground to the village perched on the horizon. Godien virtuously exploits the chromatic possibilities of pastel, alternating warm tones—ochres, oranges, browns—with touches of vibrant green that enliven the cultivated surface. The sky, rendered with broad horizontal hatching blending browns and blues, creates a particular atmosphere, perhaps that of an autumn evening.

The treatment of the landscape, with its parallel lines suggesting the furrows of the fields and its energetic and expressive brushwork, reveals a modern approach to landscape representation, characteristic of the interwar period. The village buildings, punctuated with touches of orange evoking rooftops, blend harmoniously into this agricultural landscape.

This work perfectly illustrates the style of Godien, a Lyon-born artist who dedicated a large part of his output to immortalizing the villages and countryside of his region.

The work is signed and dated 1928 in the lower right corner. It is in very good condition. The frame consists of a simple varnished wooden molding, perfectly in keeping with the tone of the work.

The artist
Adrien Godien, was born on May 14, 1873, in Lyon, and died there on July 28, 1949. In 1888, he entered the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Lyon, marking the beginning of his artistic training.

From 1896 onwards, Adrien Godien began exhibiting: first at the Lyon Salon, then at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris from 1899. He also participated in the creation of the Lyon Autumn Salon, of which he was one of the founders. His work was varied: he created portraits, theatrical scenes, urban landscapes, and views of the city of Lyon. He practiced several techniques: oils, pastels, drawings, watercolors, washes, and also worked in stained glass.

Among his creations are stained-glass windows for the chapel of the Édouard-Herriot Hospital in Lyon. Two of his paintings, entitled Flowers and Head of Young Girls, are held at the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon.

In homage to his local artistic contribution, a square in Lyon—Place Adrien-Godien—bears his name in the 4th arrondissement, in the Croix-Rousse district.

Artwork on display at the gallery (07240).
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