Jean-georges Pasquet (1851-1936) The Ferry At Campniac - Périgueux Dordogne

Jean-Georges PASQUET
(Périgueux 1851 - 1936)
The ferry on the Isle at Campniac
Oil on panel
H. 28 cm; L. 40 cm
Signed and dated 1904 lower right. Located on the back.

Provenance: Private collection, Basse-Normandie

Jean-Georges Pasquet was born in 1851, in Périgueux. After a very little documented Périgord childhood, the young artist arrived in Paris and joined the School of Fine Arts, from which he graduated a few years later. He returned to his land in 1879 to take over the management of the municipal drawing school of Périgueux, and also became a drawing teacher at the Normal Schools for boys and girls. Pupil of Gustave Boulanger, Jules Lefèvre and Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, the painter puts his easel on the banks of the Dordogne or the Isle to "tell some memories" through realistic landscapes filled with softness. Through his style, the painter reveals a great idea to his compatriots, of his country and his origins. We find works devoid of artifice, representing the inhabitants of the region, working their land or simply strolling on paths. These paintings or drawings by Pasquet retrace the life of Périgord at dawn and during the 20th century, always located in very specific places. He is one of the artists of the School of Périgueux. This school, somewhat forgotten in the history of art, highlights the heritage and identity of the Perigord lands. Among the representatives, we find Jean-Louis Daniel, André Saigne, Georges Darnet, René Laforest, Roger Favard and André Prugent. This movement has as a common denominator a theme that stands out from the canons of the time: the landscape. “It's a school without a leader and without a dominant style, but which worked with extraordinary enthusiasm. They liked to attack pieces of nature that we call here picadis. » Jean-Michel Linfort The artist paints the Dordogne but not only, he travels to Creuse and very regularly to Saint Georges de Didonne. He paints the rivers, the sea, the ports, the bridges, the dunes and the forests there. So many motifs that he knows how to transcribe and to which he gives life thanks to the bright colors and the movement given to his brush, to give relief to the landscapes.

The surroundings of Périgueux are common in the work of the painter. From Chancelade to Trélissac he crosses the banks of the Isle to give contrasting images, often animated by a few characters vacant to their occupations. Here the image is even more interesting since historical. It represents the Campniac ferry, south of the town, and northeast of Coulouniers. We can see the ferry hanging there, and on the opposite bank the house with its feet in the water, which is the point of arrival.