Emile Guillaume (1900-1975) Return From Fishing Painting Brittany Meheut Creston 20th Century

This oil on canvas signed Émile Louis Guillaume depicts a lively harbor scene centered on two fishermen walking side by side, carrying a basket filled with freshly landed fish. Their forward-leaning posture and coordinated gestures convey shared effort and give the composition a strong sense of movement.

The figures, dressed in work clothes with bold colors, stand out against a vibrant port background composed of moored fishing boats, upright masts, and silhouettes of fishermen busy on the quay. The light-colored harbor buildings and the bright sky bring depth and air to the composition, clearly situating the scene within an active maritime environment.

The brushwork is free and expressive, favoring atmosphere and spontaneity over meticulous detail. Through this direct representation, the artist highlights the dignity of the labor of seafaring men and fully aligns himself with the tradition of 20th-century French maritime figurative painting, attentive to everyday reality and the human strength embodied in gesture.

The artwork is in very good condition.

Canvas dimensions: 32 × 24 cm
Framed dimensions: 41 × 34 cm

Emile Louis Guillaume (1900–1975)

Émile Louis Guillaume was a 20th-century French painter whose work is primarily devoted to maritime and harbor scenes and to the lives of fishermen—subjects he approached with deeply human sensitivity and a sincere attention to the working world.

His approach belongs to the continuity of the great Breton tradition exemplified by Mathurin Méheut, with whom he shared an interest in maritime culture, everyday gestures, and the authentic depiction of coastal communities. Like Méheut, Guillaume did not seek picturesque anecdote but rather a fair and respectful reading of the lives of seafaring men, favoring direct observation and fidelity to lived reality.

However, where Méheut often developed a graphic and decorative language, Guillaume adopted a more painterly and spontaneous style, based on color, movement, and the vibration of the brushstroke, giving his compositions an immediate narrative intensity.

Émile Louis Guillaume also maintained intellectual and artistic ties with Jean-Yves Creston, a major figure of the Breton cultural movement Seiz Breur. This closeness reflects his place within a network of artists committed to defending regional identities, transmitting popular knowledge, and promoting a Brittany that is living, modern, and deeply rooted.

Like Creston, Guillaume viewed art as a tool of memory and testimony, serving a culture in transformation. His paintings express this desire to capture an intact maritime world, seized in moments of effort, solidarity, and dignity.

We are looking for paintings by artists who depict Brittany in the spirit of Guillaume.
Please feel free to contact us with any proposals or inquiries.

Photographs are taken in natural light.
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