Bern-klene (1870-1930) Argentat - The Half-timbering Of The Rue Du Bac Corrèze Dordogne

Hendricus BERN-KLENE
(Amsterdam 1870 - 1930)
The half-timbering of the rue du Bac in Argentat on Dordogne
Pastel on gray paper
H. 39 cm; L. 54 cm
Signed lower left

Self-taught artist, born in Amsterdam in 1870, Bernardus Hendricus Klene, known as Bern-Klene seems to have been free to follow the example of his elders, Van Gogh and Ten Cate, who went to seek France another light, other landscapes and certainly another welcome for their work. In Paris, the artist exhibited notably at the Salon des Indépendants in 1902 and at the Salon de l'Union artistique the following year. The British Museum keeps a beautiful lithograph of him, a portrait of Camille Pissarro, proof of their artistic affinities. The two painters probably painted together, notably the landscapes of Moret-sur-Loing, around 1900-1902. Impressionist and pure pointillist, Bern-Klene realizes many compositions of landscapes placing themselves in the vein of the big names.

Our pastel is a representation of a small street overlooking the Dordogne in Argentat in Corrèze. These half-timbered houses overlook the former location of the ferry crossing the river. The composition is enhanced by a purple blue affixed with small touches representing the reflections of the slates, water on the road and areas of shadow. Like a poppy in the middle of a field of wheat, the red cloth drying in the wind gives this urban landscape a not inconsiderable vigour.