Apple Trees In Bloom. Watercolor By Octave Volant. 1917.

Watercolor by Octave Volant (1850-1941)

Ambroise-Octave Volant was a painter and sculptor born in Isle-Adam in 1850. Like his father Joseph-Jules Volant, he was a cabinetmaker, but his passion was painting and sculpture. He trained with talented painters in the Val d'Oise, notably at Auvers-sur-Oise. His painting is very instinctive, with a palette of bold colors. A real joy of painting can be discerned in each of his pictures.
His subjects are almost exclusively landscapes or outdoor scenes

This watercolor offers us a springtime scene. The composition is organized around a dirt road that stretches out in central perspective, guiding the eye toward the horizon. On either side, a double row of apple trees in blossom forms an alley. The trees, slender but light, unfurl their slender branches covered in small splashes of color, pinks, whites and greens, evoking the spring bloom with great finesse.

On the left, a body of water or river stretches out, while beyond appears a village with its church .
The path is marked by irregular tracks and earthy shades, A barely sketched figure can be made out at its center, who appears to be pushing a wheelbarrow. To the right, the open fields extend the composition and balance the visual mass of the water.

The palette, soft and slightly faded by time, blends pastel tones with more sustained touches. The watercolor technique, with its transparencies and light superimpositions, accentuates the airy, luminous atmosphere of the whole.

The painting is signed and dated lower right (1917). On the back it is written, "L'avenue des pommiers en fleurs, rue du bois (?)" dated and countersigned. It is also written "retenu par les beaux-arts 1917".

Technique: watercolor on drawing paper
Signed and dated
Period: 20th century
Dimensions: 43 × 31.5 cm
Condition: good (some traces of age)
Sold unframed