Joseph Guédon Port Of La Rochelle XIXth Century Oil On Canvas Exceptional Landscape

This work by Joseph Guédon depicts the port of La Rochelle at the end of the 19th century. It is an oil on canvas presenting a landscape animated by human and naval figures: the painter, himself a naval architect, is moreover recognized for the way in which he represents the various rigs of the time. On the left side, there is a boat descent ramp, with the towers of La Rochelle on the horizon. On the left side, dozens of small sailboats are represented with great dynamism. The work needs to be restored, although it has been re-covered. It has gaps, cracks and repaints (see photos). A work of Joseph Guédon like this one is on the other hand very rare and historic. Biography of the Artist: Joseph Guédon (1862-1947) was a naval architect and marine painter, born in Bordeaux and died in Arcachon. During his lifetime, he led a great activity in the manufacture of sailboats such as the Calypso, for prestigious sponsors such as the Spanish royal family or the Rothschild family. Also in his vocation as a naval architect, he designed the Arcachon monotype in the 1910s. In 1928, he created a pinnace model. This art of naval lines and the design of sailboats admirably nourish an art of pictorial lines, with which he represents these boats and marine moods. Probably self-taught in color and oil, he paints the Bassin d'Arcachon where he lives, of which he particularly likes the horizons and dynamics of boats and other naval architectures, coastal animations of fishermen and yachtsmen.