Louis Pasteur (1876–1948), *the White Sail*, Cannes, 1928

Louis Pastour, oil on panel, signed and dated 1923, *The White Sail*, probably in the Bay of Cannes
In excellent overall condition
Shipping: 20 euros


Louis Pastour (1876–1948) was a French Post-Impressionist painter from Cannes. His favorite subjects were landscapes, seascapes, and flowers. In 1902, he founded the Association des Beaux-Arts de Cannes, serving as its secretary-general. Through this association, local painters were showcased in an annual exhibition. In 1912, he traveled to and painted in Egypt. In search of new landscapes, he painted in Morocco and Italy, but he always returned to Cannes, as the city remained his primary source of inspiration.Louis Pastour used the knife technique to bring his works to life; a painter of light with total mastery of color, he observed the light and seemed to capture it. Vigorous in his execution, he nervously worked the paint, applying it in thick layers through sudden, bold swaths of color applied with a knife; in this way, he creates dazzling skies where vivid whites, raw yellows, and blood-red vermillions blend together beautifully.Critics have recognized him as a “poet-painter” because of the poetic titles he gives his works: “Festival of the Sun,” “Golden Reflections,” “Glory of the Morning.” In 1928, he was commissioned to decorate the lower station of the Super-Cannes funicular, located on a hill in the Californie-Pezou neighborhood. Louis Pastour also produced advertising work for the railroads, the PLM (Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée) calendar, and various magazines. His works can be found at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nice, and the National Museum of Art of Romania in Bucharest.