Bernard Naudin (1876-1946) Fresselines In Creuse. Châteauroux, Berry, Crozant-maillaud School

A very rare and interesting oil on cardboard by Bernard Naudin depicting the village and church of Fresselines in the Creuse region, signed and titled on the back. The painting itself measures 24 x 19 cm, and 27 x 21.5 cm including the frame. This is indeed a rare painting by Bernard Naudin, the renowned engraver and draftsman from Berry, because despite his great talent as a painter, he produced very few paintings, unlike his drawings and engravings. Here he depicts the famous church of Fresselines in the Creuse, often painted by his colleagues from the Crozant school, such as Maillaud, Detroy, etc. Bernard Étienne Hubert Naudin, born in Châteauroux on November 11, 1876, and died in Noisy-le-Grand on March 7, 1946, was a French painter, draftsman, caricaturist, and engraver. He was the son of Sylvain Célestin Naudin, a jeweler, and Adèle Léontine Marie. Born into a family of watchmakers and antique dealers, his father, who died in 1890, was also a draftsman and painter; he was his first teacher. In 1891, he contributed to Jean Baffier's literary review, Le Réveil de la Gaule, publishing a drawing of a 17th-century bagpiper. The following year, he illustrated his first book, L'amour au village, scènes de mœurs berrichonnes (Love in the Village, Scenes of Berry Customs). In 1893, he moved to Paris and gave guitar lessons to pay for his drawing classes at the Académie Colarossi, where he later became a teacher. With a scholarship from the city of Châteauroux, he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1897, where he studied under Léon Bonnat. He exhibited paintings with military subjects at the Salon des Indépendants, including La Charge de Valmy (The Charge of Valmy) and Engagement d'avant-garde (Avant-Garde Commitment) (Châteauroux, Musée Bertrand). Soon, he divided his time between a studio in Paris and his hometown, where he performed at the cabaret "Le Pierrot Noir." He married Marie Louise Albessard in 1906. Around the same time, he abandoned painting to devote himself to drawing and engraving, especially etching: he illustrated Chamisso's *L'Homme qui a perdu son ombre* (The Man Who Lost His Shadow). He contributed to magazines such as *Le Cri de Paris* and then, through Jules Grandjouan, to *L'Assiette au beurre* from December 1904 to May 1909, producing special issues: "Enough" (on the Russo-Japanese War), "The Mess" (on tramps), "Guilty Childhood" (on child abuse), and "Biribi" (the penal colony). He also contributed about ten drawings to Jean Grave's *Les Temps Nouveaux* (1905-1914). In 1910, at the request of Georges Peignot, he designed and engraved a typeface that the Deberny & Peignot foundry would release in 1924 (available in three styles: Roman, Italic, and Champlevé). In 1912, he held his first solo exhibition of engravings and drawings at the Pavillon de Marsan in Paris. In early 1914, he illustrated the program for the play *Les Tisserands* by Gerhardt Hauptmann, performed at the Théâtre Malakoff. That same year, he was immortalized by the painter Bernard Boutet de Monvel in a portrait on the quays of Paris, now held at the Musée Bertrand in Châteauroux. In 1914, World War I broke out, and he was mobilized as an infantry sergeant. He became a war illustrator, depicting life in the trenches. His service on the Aisne front earned him the Legion of Honour. In 1924, he was commissioned to design the diploma for the Summer Olympic Games. In 1925, he created all the illustrations for the catalogue celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Houbigant perfume house, recounting the history of the company founded by Jean-François Houbigant in 1775. He is famous for his depictions of the dispossessed, scenes of life in the Berry region, the world of the circus, music, high society, sports, and more. He also designed posters and labels. He illustrated works by Diderot, Edgar Allan Poe, André Suarès, Georges Duhamel, Anatole France, and others. A plaque at 13 bis rue Campagne-Première (Paris) commemorates the artist who lived at this address. He died in Noisy-le-Grand at the age of 69. This painting is exceptionally sold in its original condition, needing cleaning and with two or three scratches to repair. Delivered in its original natural wood frame. Guaranteed authentic artwork.