André Lhote (1885-1962) The Couple, 1908 Charcoal, Signed Lower Right

Between 1906 and 1909, André Lhote was still a developing painter in Bordeaux, oscillating between regional Fauvism and a highly structured style, and he was not yet fully a Cubist. This period corresponds to his last years in Bordeaux, his move to Paris (1907), and his first official exhibitions (Salon Girondins, then exhibitions in Le Havre).

Biographical Context 1906–1909
Born in Bordeaux in 1885, trained as a sculptor and decorator, Lhote devoted himself to painting full-time from 1905 onward.

He moved to Paris in 1907, leaving the Bordeaux art scene to discover Gauguin and Cézanne firsthand, a true revelation for him and in the following ten years he would become a pioneer of Cubism.

In 1909, he married Marguerite Hayet and began to participate in the networks of modern Parisian and provincial exhibitions.Marguerite Hayet was herself an esteemed painter. Our charcoal drawing dates from the year before their marriage, so it is very likely that André depicted himself with Marguerite in it. The two attached photos of two paintings by André Lhote from the same period will allow everyone to form their own opinion.