René Seyssaud (1867-1952) Effects Of Wind And Light On The Etang De Berre

Contrasting textures, brushstrokes, and flat areas of paint characterize this oil on canvas by the Provençal master René Seyssaud.
Large, colorful, expressionistic, and Fauvist swathes of color in the lower part of the canvas clash with an almost Impressionist technique of smaller, but equally energetic, brushstrokes in the upper section.
Here, the artist captures the intensity of the wind and its effects of movement and current on the Étang de Berre, bathed in dazzling light that practically compels the viewer to blink.
The work, in excellent condition, is presented in a lovely gilt frame measuring 66 cm x 58 cm, while the canvas itself measures 46 cm x 38 cm.
It is signed in the lower right corner.

A precursor of Fauvism and a member of the New School of Avignon, Seyssaud submitted works to the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon des Champs de Mars in 1892. He exhibited at the Salon d'Automne from its inception, at the Parc de Bouteville in 1897, and at Vollard's gallery in 1899. He achieved all the success he had hoped for. His art provoked the strongest reactions in the press, for it brought, as one critic of the time wrote, "an entirely new note." "These," said another, speaking of his canvases, "are spontaneous works that owe nothing to anyone and consequently should be appreciated by those who love the courage and energetic candor of a man who has had no master and wants no patron." Vollard offered Seyssaud a contract, but out of loyalty to his friend and Marseilles art dealer, François Honnorat, he refused. In 1901, he exhibited annually at Bernheim Jeune's gallery. Bernheim, like Vollard, offered to manage his interests. Seyssaud preferred to reject this association, however beneficial it might be. After 1911, Seyssaud stopped exhibiting at Bernheim's gallery, choosing instead to exhibit with Rosemberg (1914), Druet (1924), (1927), Printz (1929), Georges Petit (1930), Javal and Boudeaix (1933), and Printz (1933). He exhibited in Marseille in 1905, 1907, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1928, 1947, 1949. In Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Tunis, etc... In America in 1947. Seyssaud participated in the official exhibitions of Berlin (1903), Amsterdam (1912), Barcelona (1917, 1929), New York (1929), Wiesbaden (1921), Ghent (1922), Stockholm (1923), Geneva (1923, 1942), Turin (1951), Marseille Colonial Exhibition (1922), Paris International Exhibition (1937), Marseille Prefecture (1949), Menton Biennale (1951), Cantini Museum (1954), Zurich (1955), Galliera Museum (1956), Oxford, London, Edinburgh (1957), Aix-en-Provence Festival (1957). He had state purchases for Luxembourg (1903, 1904, 1921, 1927, 1929, 1930). For the Museums of Marseille (1908, 1919), Lyon (1924), Avignon (1920), the Prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône (1933), the Town Hall of Saint-Chamas (1909), and the National Museum of Modern Art (1957).
His work is represented at the Petit Palais, the Museum of Modern Art, the Léon Dierx Museum (Réunion Island), and in Moscow. Also in Dijon, Nîmes, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Grenoble, Montpellier, Albi, etc. He received various medals and awards, including the Gold Medal at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris. that of the city of Marseille in 1947. The Grand Prix des Provinces Françaises in 1951, at the Menton Biennale. Seyssaud had been an Officer of the Legion of Honour since 1947. Among the posthumous events were retrospectives at the Musée Calvet (1953), Musée Cantini (1954), Salon d'Automne, Château d'Arbon in Switzerland (1955), and Musée Galliera. His paintings are included in the collections of Gustave Geffroy, Frantz Jourdain, Vollard, Georges Feydeau, Sacha Guitry, Armand Dayot, Lucien Poincaré, Maurice Sarraut, Albert Sarraut, Paulhan, Bernheim, Estaunié, Descaves, Morsolf, Fernand Bouisson, Drouant, André Marie, the Marquis de Biron, the Princess de la Tour d'Auvergne, the Princess de Wagram, etc.