Louis Marie Desire Lucas (1869-1949) Mixed Media "meals Among Breton Peasants"

Mixed media (pastel, pencil), signed upper left, depicting a Breton peasant couple. Dimensions: 50 x 42 cm (sight size) and 76 x 68 cm (framed with anti-reflective glass). Originally from Brest, Louis Marie Désiré Lucas entered the Académie Julian in Paris, where he studied under Bouguereau, and was later admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts. He debuted at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1893 and exhibited there regularly thereafter. He received several awards before being awarded a medal of honor in 1936. He was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts of the Institut de France in 1943. Désiré Lucas returned to Brittany in 1896 and painted numerous landscapes and genre scenes. He often painted similar subjects with different color palettes depending on the light. His interior scenes demonstrate a masterful use of chiaroscuro. His spirited touch is original and distinguishes him from other Post-Impressionist painters. Our painting, A Meal Among the Peasants, is a late 19th-century work, a period when the artist was interested in the peasant world of Brittany. The theme of the young girl with a pitcher is very present in his work. His works can be found in public collections in Orsay, Brest, Quimper, and many other museums. Bibliography: Désiré Lucas by Marie Paule Piriou. "Désiré Lucas and the Peasant World" on m.shabretagne.com