Sunset By Louis Braquaval (1854-1919)

Soleil Couchant By LouisBraquaval
Oil/Cardboard 24 X 29

Perfect Condition
Monogrammed lower left

Sold Framed

The Work :

The work is executed with a very generous, textured, impasto touch.

The painter uses the brush vigorously and visibly, leavingvigorously and visibly, allowing the relief of the paint to catch the physical light.which is particularly evident in the tormented treatment of the sky.sky.

The construction iswith a deliberately low horizon line.

The terrestrial landscape is reduced to the lower third, leaving the remaining two-thirds for a theatrical sky.to a theatrical sky, creating an impression of immensity.
An unobtrusivesilhouette (a tree or a distant steeple) serves as a visual anchor.anchor.

Braquaval usesa palette of broken tones, dominated by ochres, browns, mauves and earthy greens.earthy greens.
The light, typical of a Picardy sunset or twilightis brought to life by touches of white and pure yellow, set in vivid accentsto simulate the glow of the sun breaking through the clouds.

The use ofoil on a small cardboard panel is the queen of motif painting.
It allows for rapid, nervous and spontaneous execution, capturingthe immediacy of the atmosphere before the light changes.
The artist's signaturethe artist's signature, the distinctive monogram "LB.lower left.


The artist :

Louis Édouard JosephBraquaval (1854-1919) was a French landscapelandscape painter associated with Impressionism.
Born on October 24, 1854 inEsquermes (Lille), he began his career as an auctioneer.

His marriage in 1880 led him to settleled him to settle permanently in Picardy.
Autodidact, he decided to leave everything behindto leave everything behind to devote himself to painting.
The turning point in his life came when hemeeting with the painter Eugène Boudin in the Baie de Somme.
Boudinencouraged him and taught him to capture the variations of light.
Later, in 1898, he struck up a close friendshipfriendship with the famous Edgar Degas.
Degas became his mentor,helping him to structure his compositions and refine his style.

Braquaval excelled at paintingbusy markets, street scenes and coastal landscapes.
His lively, rapid brushstrokesimmortalize Paris and London as well as Picardy villages.

Recognized by his peers,the artist was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1914.
Fragile health led to his deathNovember 19, 1919 in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. Forgotten, his luminous work wasrediscovered in a retrospective exhibition in 1969.
Today, his paintings are housedin major museums, including the Musée d'Orsay.

He remains the perfect exampleof those "little masters" indispensable to art history.