Henri Pailler (1876-1954) Poitiers 1919. Crozant School, Student And Friend Of Guillaumin, Fauve, Alluaud

A beautiful new work by Henri Pailler, this time a view of Poitiers in 1919, signed lower left and located and dated on the back: "rue de la cueille Poitiers 1919". The canvas measures 38x46cm and 51x59.5cm including the frame. This is a lovely post-impressionist composition by Henri Pailler, who here paints his birthplace, and also the city where he taught for many years, Poitiers in 1919. He chose a bird's-eye view of the city, taken from rue Cueille. He would create several works with this same, very successful framing; we glimpse the city in the distance with the cathedral, and in the foreground, the street bustling with people, lined with old traditional houses. His style is typical of this period, with broad, flat areas of color, and his palette is clearly the one he favored, featuring beige, ochre, soft greens, yellow, orange, sky blue, etc. One naturally thinks of his teacher and friend, Armand Guillaumin, from whom he drew significant inspiration, who also encouraged him to come and paint in the Creuse Valley. As a result, he became one of the eight best painters of the Crozant school. Henri Pailler, born in Poitiers in 1876, died in 1954. Painter of landscapes, nudes, and still lifes. A student of Bonnat at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Henri Pailler was in fact a student and friend of Armand Guillaumin. More modest and less ambitious than his friends Friesz, Marquet, and Dufy, whom he met at Bonnat's studio, he preferred the classical Impressionism of Guillaumin, the master of Crozant, whom he accompanied to the Creuse region. Still very young, Henri Pailler, aware of the privilege of associating with Guillaumin, received his lessons as a true treasure. However, to secure a daily income, he taught drawing in Poitiers and then in Roubaix, where he quickly succeeded in making teaching a hobby and painting a profession. Throughout his life, he sought neither recognition nor laurels for his landscapes, which changed only with the slow rhythm of the seasons. Nevertheless, despite his position as a follower, Henri Pailler managed to assert his own personality. His most frequent subjects were views of Crozant and the surroundings of Poitiers and the Limousin region, until his appointment as a drawing professor in Roubaix. Views of northern France then appeared, and during his holidays, views of the south; he would later end his life in Triel-sur-Seine, where he produced his greatest output, though his style was quite restrained. Henri Pailler always retained a fondness for Crozant and its Creuse region. Henri Pailler debuted at the Salon des Indépendants in 1903 with seven landscapes, and in 1904 with seven more, and so on. His work is featured in numerous museums, including those in Limoges, Guéret, Poitiers, and at the Roubaix swimming pool. This canvas is in very good original condition and comes in a modern gilt frame. The work is guaranteed authentic.