Oil On Canvas Signed Antoine Calbet (1860-1944) - Elegant Women In The Garden , Impressionist Style

Ancient & Charming oil on canvas signed lower right by Antoine Calbet, a French artist renowned for his intimate scenes and portraits of women.

The work depicts three elegant Second Empire ladies in conversation in a lush garden.
They move about in a setting bathed in light, where vegetation, flowers and shadow play are treated with a free, vibrant touch.
The subtle palette of greens, pinks and blues lends the whole a poetic atmosphere evocative of the refined pleasures of the Belle Époque.

Work close to Impressionism.
The deliberately blended contours and the search for luminous effects testify to the artist's talent for restoring an atmosphere more than a descriptive detail, in an elegant spirit that was resolutely modern for its time.

Good overall condition

Dimensions:

• Height: 26.5 cm

• Width: 34 cm

Antoine Calbet (1860-1944)

French painter, watercolorist and illustrator.

Antoine Calbet was a representative artist of French Belle Époque painting. Born on August 16, 1860 in Engayrac (Lot-et-Garonne), he first trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier with Édouard-Antoine Marsal before entering the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris in the studio of the famous academic painter Alexandre Cabanel.

Beginning in the 1880s, he exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français, where his talent was quickly noticed. He won several awards over the course of his career and became a popular figure in the Parisian art scene. His friendship with Armand Fallières, future President of the French Republic, helped boost his reputation in the capital's social circles.

A versatile artist, Calbet excelled in female portraits, elegant nudes, gallant scenes, allegorical compositions and refined watercolors. His work is characterized by a precise drawing inherited from the academic tradition, combined with a decorative sensibility typical of the Belle Époque. He also produced numerous illustrations for literary works by Pierre Louÿs, Henri de Régnier and Jean Lorrain.

Parallel to his activity as an easel painter, he took part in several major public decorations, notably the Ducourneau theater in Agen, where he created monumental paintings. His talent as a draughtsman also earned him a seat on the admission jury for the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris between 1913 and 1930.

Winner of several awards, including a medal at the Salon des Artistes Français and a medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition. He was made a knight, then an officer of the Legion of Honor.

Today, Antoine Calbet's works are held in several French public collections, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Agen, the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse and various heritage collections.