Roanne By Johannès Son

Oil on canvas by Johannès Son depicting the Coteau Bridge in Roanne spanning the Loire River. The painting is signed in the lower right corner and is mounted in its original frame, a Louis XV-style wooden frame with gilded stucco dating from the late 19th or early 20th century. The painting is in its original condition and has a very small tear measuring approximately 6 mm. Without its frame, the painting measures 27x41 cm.

Jean-Antoine, known as Johannès Son, was born in Lyon in 1859. His family moved to Bourg-en-Bresse in 1862, as his father was involved in the construction of the railway line from Bourg-en-Bresse to Lons-le-Saunier. Despite his father’s opposition, he painted from life during the free time allowed by his job at his father’s bank. He exhibited for the first time at the Salon de Lyon in 1886, where he would submit paintings every year. His participation in the Parisian Salons proved more challenging and prompted him to hone his skills by joining the studio of landscape painter Edmond Yon. 
He then began participating regularly in the Parisian Salons
He divided his life as a landscape painter between his Parisian studio, the town of Bourg-en-Bresse, and numerous excursions to regions throughout France (Provence, Normandy, Brittany, Savoie, Burgundy, etc.) or neighboring countries (Italy, Holland, Belgium), just as Corot had done more than half a century before him.