Painting By Emmanuel De La Villeon (1858-1944)

Emmanuel de la Villeon (Fougères 1858 - Paris 1944) House on the Prairie, oil on canvas, signed lower left. Bears the inscription "Manuscript N2204" on the reverse. Dimensions: 46 x 55 cm - with frame: 65 x 74 cm
The city of Fougères inherited over 100 works in 1977. The Emmanuel de la Villéon Museum then took charge of the conservation and promotion of this collection to the public. Modernized and renovated in 2012, the Museum presents a selection of works chosen to illustrate the talents of this painter, a colorist and landscape artist who dedicated his entire life to painting. He devoted all his energy to finding ways to capture light and color. His palette expanded with each passing day of his tireless research, highlighting his talent as a colorist and his Impressionist touch. This collection comprises a selection of oils, pastels, watercolors, and drawings, which are further enriched by the artist's travel journals and his famous "box contents," providing insight into his technique and overall creative process. Curious about all the aesthetic explorations of his time, de la Villéon was nevertheless far from being the tormented, isolated figure who retreated into his art. Very close to his family, the man was also a great traveler. His travels revealed such a diverse range of landscapes and ever-changing colors that he constantly sought to capture them on canvas. While the artist ultimately chose Impressionism as the most fitting expression of his desire to capture and convey the colors and light of the world around him, limiting his work to this single label would be a mistake. Indeed, throughout his career, he ventured into more challenging territory, exploring symbolism and fantastical landscapes that distanced him from Impressionist principles.