Auguste Michel Colle - Champigneulles, 1911

Oil on canvas depicting a view of Champigneulles in Meurthe-et-Moselle. The scene is animated by several villagers and buildings. Magnificent blue summer sky. Fine quality of execution. Signed, dated, and located lower right "AM Colle 1911 Champigneulles". Original canvas and stretcher, no repainting, original frame restored.

Canvas dimensions: 77 cm x 52 cm.

Auguste Michel Colle was a French painter born in 1872 in Baccarat and died in 1949 in Batz-sur-Mer. Orphaned at a young age, he began as an apprentice at the Baccarat crystalworks. There he worked as a gilder and then an engraver, while developing a strong interest in drawing. His talent was encouraged by the Lorraine painter Charles Peccatte. Noticed by the art collector Eugène Corbin, he was introduced to several renowned artists. Thanks to this support, he painted nearly 500 works up to 1911, mostly landscapes of Lorraine. Between 1903 and 1911, he exhibited in major Parisian salons. From 1911 onward, he participated in the Salon des Artistes Français and received several awards. Curious about new horizons, he traveled to Savoy, Corsica, and North Africa. These journeys enriched his inspiration and his painting. After the First World War, he discovered Brittany and the Guérande region. The light of the salt marshes profoundly transformed his palette and techniques. He then experimented with pointillism and palette knife painting. Settling permanently in Kervalet in 1940, he diversified his themes during the war. He died in 1949, leaving behind a substantial body of work faithful to nature.