Gustave Alaux (1887-1965) Colonial Gallant Scene

Oil on panel painting signed Gustave Alaux (1887-1965) followed by a naval anchor (for official painter of the navy) countersigned on the back by the artist and titled "L'Heure des Adieux". Beautiful exotic composition depicting an animated scene in the colonies representing a romantic couple near a Creole hut set in a lush landscape by the sea, animated offshore by a three-master and punctuated by many villagers on the beach. This painting seems to illustrate the song "Farewell scarf, farewell Madras" dating from the end of the 18th century (1769) composed by François de Bouillé, cousin of the Marquis de La Fayette who was governor of Guadeloupe from 1769 to 1771. Original frame in lacquered wood. Good general condition, dimensions: 45.5 cm X 34.5 cm.

Gustave Alaux (1887-1965) Official painter of the Navy, decorator, engraver and illustrator. He was a pupil of Marcel Baschet and Henri Royer at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1913 and was a member, silver medal 1920, gold medal 1927, out of competition, Legion of Honor and James Bertrand Prize 1928, Jehan Peccard Prize 1932, a new medal of gold on the occasion of the International Exhibition of 1937, officer of the Legion of Honor 1950. He also appeared at the Salon d'Automne in 1921 and 1922, and at the Colonial Society in 1941 and 1942. He showed sets of his works in numerous personal exhibitions in Paris and in the provinces. In 1926, he was appointed official painter of the Navy; in 1946 member of the Marine Academy. Outside France, he was made a Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic in 1926, an Officer of the Order of Merit of Haiti in 1938. He executed works for the decoration of the cruisers Colbert and Tourville, as well as for the Vauquelin, the Bougainville, the Admiral Charner, and for the steamers Formose, Carimari, Valparaiso and Antilles. He executed works for the decoration of the cruisers Colbert and Tourville, as well as for the Vauquelin, the Bougainville, the Admiral Charner, and for the steamers Formose, Carimari, Valparaiso and Antilles. He illustrated many works with woodcuts, including the main ones: Christophe Colomb, Magellan, Vasco da Gama, The Beautiful French Cruises, Le Boucan de Cochon, Surcouf, A Woman in Every Port, Tourville, etc. He published with Bernard Grasset: The notebooks of Louis Adhémar Thimothée Le Golif, known as "Borgne-fesse", captain of the buccaneer, supposedly discovered in a cellar in Saint-Malo, which were in fact only a marvelous hoax , reissued in 1986, in the Les Cahiers rouges collection. Apart from a few exceptions: nudes: Etude de nu exhibited in 1922 at the Salon d'Automne, familiar scenes, portraits, at the start of his career, he essentially painted scenes from the history of the navy, relating to Christophe Colomb, to La Fayette, to corsairs, etc., to the history of overseas France or what could be called "boat portraits", with a preference for those of the 18th century.
A chronological list of his main works confirms the preeminence of his themes:
1920 The Conquistadors;
1925 The Conquerors of Gold;
1921 Departure of Christopher Columbus;
1928 The Departure from La Fayette;
1929 The Dutch Ship;
1930 Saint-Malo, a corsair city at the end of the 18th century, his most important work (6.50 meters x 2.90);
1931 Evening party with the filibusters;
1932 The End of the Royal Sun;
1937 The Why Not? of Commander Charcot.