Fernand Maillaud (1863-1948) Lively Street In The Sun. Orange, Berry. Crozant And Provençal School

A new work by Fernand Maillaud depicting a lively old street bathed in sunlight, possibly in Orange, signed lower right and marked on the back "Vieille rue, Orange" (Old Street, Orange). The painting measures 22 x 27.5 cm (excluding the frame) and 35.5 x 38.5 cm (including the frame). This is a very fine post-impressionist composition by Fernand Maillaud, who here paints one of his favorite subjects: a lively scene from the beginning of the last century, a sunlit street with two figures and various objects such as an old horse-drawn carriage. It could therefore be the old town of Orange, which would not surprise me, as the painter painted there several times during his stays in Provence. He naturally employs his beautiful Impressionist touch, and here a luminous palette dominated by ochres, beiges, and sienna, with touches of green, orange, blue, and so on. Fernand Maillaud, an excellent and leading painter of the Crozant school, needs no introduction. His views of the banks of the Creuse River, but also, and especially, those of his native Berry region and finally of Provence, his second adopted home, are renowned. His fame is well established, even across the Atlantic, where he enjoyed enormous success during his lifetime and continues to do so today. Maillaud achieved fame thanks to his rustic scenes of the peasant world, as well as his famous market scenes; but he was also recognized for his Orientalist scenes, his early views of Venice and Paris, some of which are preserved at the Carnavalet Museum in Paris. He was also close to the famous poet Maurice Rollinat, whom he sketched several times. His attachment to his native Berry region and to the Creuse department earned him a place among the finest painters of the Crozant school, alongside artists such as Detroy, Guillaumin, and Alluaud. His reputation was thought to be waning, yet his paintings have recently sold extremely well, reaching peaks of over €3,500. He is an emblematic painter of the Crozant school, as well as the Provençal school, and is also renowned for his Orientalist scenes, portraits, tapestries, and even sculpted furniture. Several books exist on this artist. The painting is in very good condition and comes in a lovely antique frame, likely from the period. The work is guaranteed authentic.