Fernand Maillaud (1863-1948) Pastures In The Valley, Creuse, Berry, Provence Crozant School

A new work by Fernand Maillaud, this time a beautiful and quite large oil on canvas depicting a herd of cows in a valley, signed lower left. Canvas size 46x55cm excluding frame and 67x76cm including frame. This is a beautiful impressionist scene by Fernand Maillaud, I think around 1910/1920, the artist paints a scene of pastures in a valley that could be located either in Creuse or in Provence, even if the distant mountains are quite similar to the Guéret mountains where the artist lived; We also glimpse a scene of controlled burning in the distance, with wisps of smoke rising into a sumptuous sky, the secret of which only Maillaud possessed, in silvery tones of white, gray, and blue. A truly beautiful work by Fernand Maillaud. Fernand Maillaud needs no introduction; he is an excellent, "reference" painter of the Crozant school, known for his views of the banks of the Creuse River, but also, and especially, for those of his native Berry region and finally for Provence, his second adopted home. His reputation 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 views of Venice and Paris in his early years, 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 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 therefore 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; I note only two tiny, old restorations, invisible from the front. The canvas is delivered in a very attractive antique gilt frame, likely from the period. The work is guaranteed authentic.