Charles Bichet (1863–1929) Port Of La Rochelle. Crozant School, Limoges, Paul Thomas, Alluaud

A new work by Charles Bichet—this time a magnificent gouache depicting a lively scene at the port of La Rochelle—signed twice in the lower left corner and on the back.
Dimensions of the gouache alone (unframed): 30x24 cm; 36.5x32 cm including the frame.
The gouache is in excellent original condition and is also in its original gilt frame.
Authenticity guaranteed

This is a new work by Charles Bichet; for a change, he has not painted his adopted region of Limousin but rather a magnificent, lively scene featuring numerous figures in the port of La Rochelle, circa 1920. 
As usual, he employs his technique and powerful brushwork with broad swaths of color and, of course, his vivid and subtly nuanced palette; here, the grays are enhanced by superb blues, reds, and greens. 

Bichet needs no introduction—he is one of the most important painters from Limoges, alongside his friend Eugène Alluaud and his son-in-law Léon Jouhaud, to whom he gave his first lessons; he was, of course, also part of the Crozant school, since he would set up his easel on the banks of the Creuse River, often near Anzême, but his favorite spots remained the Limoges area, as well as Eymoutiers and the Corrèze region, as well as La Rochelle and Paris, where he was born. Bichet would ultimately become an excellent painter of still lifes and portraits—in short, a well-rounded painter who remained true to his era; it has sometimes been said that he was a talented follower, but this was not the case, for we now know that he produced Fauvist works beginning in 1902–1904—that is, at the height of Fauvism and thus during the same period as Vlaminck, Valtat, Dufy, Matisse, and others… However, despite some strong auction results—with prices sometimes exceeding €4,000 or even €10,000 for certain portraits—his market value remains very low relative to the quality of his work.
As an aside, during an exhibition in Limoges where Bichet shared the gallery walls with Armand Guillaumin, the latter could not help but speak highly of Bichet’s pastels—a remark that was widely noted and would go down in history, given that the master from the Creuse was known to be very sparing with compliments, especially toward his fellow painters...
Charles Théodore Antoine Bichet was born on December 15, 1863, in the 11^th arrondissement of Paris.
He studied under Edmond Lechevallier-Chevignard at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, notably in 1903, 1904, and 1905. In 1884, he began teaching drawing in the schools of the City of Paris, then moved to Limoges, where he also served as a drawing instructor, where he taught a great many students, some of whom would also become painters, such as Marcel Merguiller, who wrote a book about his teacher that is now considered a standard work on the subject (I am also selling two gouaches by Merguiller; please feel free to ask me for photos). Initially a painter and watercolorist in the classical style, he later turned to Post-Impressionism and Fauvism beginning in 1902–1903.
Charles-Théodore Bichet died on March 28, 1929, in Limoges.