NARCISSE GUILBERT

(French, 1878-1942)

THE SEINE NEAR ROUEN

Oil on Canvas
26.5 x 36.5 Inches

Signed Lower Right 'Guilbert'

In a Hand-Carved, Gilt-Wood Frame

Narcisse Guilbert first studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Rouen under Albert Lebourg and Pierre Dumont before attending the Academie Libre. In 1907, Guilbert became a founder member of the Artist Society of Rouen where he exhibited with success for many years.  In 1910, Guilbert received the Pellecat scholarship and spent a year in Brittany, where he developed his appreciation of light and water and began to focus his resulting understanding on the subject of marine landscapes. In 1930, Guilbert moved to Étretat, becoming a central figure in the artistic colony that had formed around Boudin, Courbet and Manet. In his definitive work, 'Les Petits Maitres de la Peinture', Gerald Schurr observes of Guilbert that he paints with "...clear and profound harmonies, powerful colors and a very expressive line". Schurr also favors Guilbert with a color illustration.  The artist is also well-listed in Benezit’s Dictionary of Artists which, unusually, shows a signature sample. We are pleased to offer a lyrical view of the Seine by this notable French Post-Impressionist painter.  Guilbert's great facility with light and water is showcased in this atmospheric work that dates to the artist's middle period and which shows the cathedral spire of Guilbert's hometown visible on the skyline.

Reference:

Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Vol. 6,  p.564; Schurr, Les Petits Maitres de la Peinture Valeur de Demain, p. 111, Illustrated p.113;  Davenport’s Art Reference Guide, 2007/8 Edition,

p. 1052; et al.