Jules-louis Moréteau, "ramparts Of The Kasbah," Agadir, Morocco, 1927, Oil On Panel, Landscape

This 1927 work depicts the ramparts of the Kasbah of Agadir. It is located, dated, and signed by Jules-Louis Moréteau, an artist from Bordeaux who created many of his paintings based on landscapes of North and West Africa. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, winner of the Prix de Rome in 1926, and an exhibitor at the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Vincennes, he also received government grants that sent him to paint the landscapes of French colonial territories. 

Beyond the artist’s technique, a palette of tones runs through his work and demonstrates a true talent for depicting the regions he visited—their lands, their light, and sometimes their local cultures—both faithfully and with feeling. (Feel free to check out the artist’s other works that we’ve posted online.) Here, the mountains form the backdrop to the buildings, creating an exotic atmosphere with their earthy, pastel tones.

The work is framed and in good condition, with a few scratches on the panel. Its unframed dimensions are as follows: 27 cm wide, 22 cm high.

Here is a brief biography of the artist:
Jules Louis Moréteau (1886–1956) was a traveling painter born in Bordeaux. He was a renowned painter associated with the artistic movements known as Orientalism and Africanism. He received his artistic training at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His teachers included Gabriel Ferrier, François Flameng, and Charles Fouqueray. A winner of the Prix de Rome in 1926, he painted Rabat, Safi, and Mogador. In 1935, he won a travel grant to French West Africa and visited Senegal, Sudan, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast. He exhibited with the Société des Artistes Français and participated in the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1931. A section is dedicated to him in the book by Lynne Thornton, *em* *Les africanistes Peintres voyageurs* , published by ACR.