Gaston Balande, Fisherman And His Family

Gaston Balande (Madrid, 1880- Paris, 1971),
Painting possibly painted on the banks of the Marne.
Balande painted all his life: portraits, landscapes from his many travels. A painter recognized as one of the main representatives of the naturalist current of the 20th century, he leaves a considerable body of work, authentic and indifferent to fashions. In 1900 he met Harpignies who encouraged him to join the National School of Decorative Arts. He then worked in the workshops of Fernand Cormon, Jean-Paul Laurens and Rupert Bunny, which allowed him to refine his training. In 1903, during an exhibition at the Salon of French Artists, he won the Edouard Lemaitre prize for his painting "Au Quai d'Orsay in winter". He finally set up his own studio in Etaples (Pas-de-Calais) In 1912, thanks to a prize from the Institute with a grant, he undertook trips abroad, notably to Belgium, Holland and Spain where he painted "The asylum for the elderly in Toledo" (visible in the municipal council room of the town hall of Saujon), and in Italy. Back in Paris, he volunteered to participate in artistic missions to the Armed Forces and was sent to Neuport (Belgium) and Verdun. The Manufacture des Gobelins recognizes his artistic talent and calls on him to create a tapestry. He was a professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts for summer courses for American students in Fontainebleau for 13 years. From 1931 to 1954, he was curator of Fine Arts in La Rochelle, a city that greatly inspired him.
He died in Paris on April 8, 1971, a year after his wife.