Joseph Bail, "the Parish Priest And His Cat"

Joseph BAIL (1862-1921) "Le Curé Binant and his Cat" Oil on canvas Signed "Bail J" lower right 33 cm x 42 cm Wooden frame and molded stucco and gilded (50 cm x 57 cm) Biography: Born near Lyon, in the Rhone, in Limonest, January 22, 1862 and died November 28, 1921 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Joseph Bail is a French naturalist painter. He worked with his father, Jean-Antoine Bail, then under the direction of Gérôme and Carolus-Duran. His early success dates back to 1878, when he began exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français. He has devoted himself to genre painting and made some paintings representing animals, but he owes his reputation above all to his interior paintings. His talent has been to make lights happy and sometimes a bit artificial. He excels at creating in his canvases a very bright light due to the radiant glow of some bright spots or the direct projection of the outside day. It is the expression of an original and quite harmonious art. Its invoice is very delicate and its color very fair. The composition of his always elegant paintings is cleverly treat. Some of his works including "Les Dentellières" were a great success. Joseph Lease has received numerous awards; in 1886 a medal of 3rd class; in 1887 a second class medal; in 1889 a silver medal; in 1900 a gold medal, at the Universal Expositions of Paris. Finally in 1902, he was awarded the medal of honor of the show. In addition to "The Lacemakers", include among the most famous works of Joseph Bail "Cello Player" (1882), "La Cuisinière" (1883), "Le Marmiton" (1887), "The Blessed Bread" (1892), "Cinderella" (1894), "The Bubbles of Soap" (1897). A number of his works are exhibited in museums such as Lyon, Nancy, and modern art in Paris.