Michel Négrier (born In 1936) Château De Commarque, Eyzies

Michel NÉGRIER
(born in 1936)
Commarque, the Forgotten Valley
Acrylic on canvas
H. 100 cm; W. 80 cm
Signed lower right, dated 2009. Titled lower left. 

Provenance: Artist’s studio

During his childhood in the Saint-Georges neighborhood of Périgueux, Michel Négrier very quickly developed a great talent for drawing. While some describe this ability as a passion, he characterizes it as an illness that remains incurable even today, at over 85 years of age, though he still holds his pencils for several hours a day. This daily pursuit has also been his profession. 

In the 1950s, he began working as an illustrator at Fontas Publishing in Périgueux, before going independent and creating numerous advertising campaigns and illustrations for local businesses in the Périgord region. Later, Michel Négrier worked for the Havas advertising agency, which would prove to be a defining chapter in his career. 

Passionate about the Périgord and its heritage, the artist began creating works in gouache or ink as a young man, depicting the region’s various villages and must-see sites through a medieval lens. These scenes, full of humor and elements drawn from local history, are his trademark, a style he continues to develop today.  

Around 2005–2010, Michel Négrier created a series of paintings featuring several locations in the Périgord. Among them are the Château de l’Herm, haunted by the spirit of Marguerite de Calvimont, and Bourdeilles, featuring numerous medieval characters, to name just a few.
Our view of the Commarque fortress stems from the painter-illustrator’s fantastical universe. Here, in a world where stones have faces and trees rise toward the sky in eerie, forked shapes, this large rocky promontory takes on a completely different appearance than it does in reality. A blue night, a full and sparkling moon, and an owl perched on a branch are just a few more symbols of this mystical valley as imagined by the artist.