Alexis Guigné (1839-1920) La Sèvre Nantaise In Clisson Nantes Loire-atlantique

Alexis Eugène GUIGNÉ
(Paris 1839 - c. 1920)
La Sèvre Nantaise in Clisson
Watercolor
H. 26.5 cm; L. 36.5 cm
Signed lower right

Provenance : Private collection, Lyon

Alexis Guigné completed his artistic apprenticeship with Jules Noël and exhibited at the Salon from 1868 to 1882. The vast majority of these are watercolors that he presents and which come out of his studio. He will make a specialty of this technique to the point that his oils are extremely rare today. Several French and English museums have watercolors by Guigné whose production seems to calm down around 1900. The powerful watercolor that we present is a resumption of the composition of the great Henri Harpignies, named La Sèvre Nantaise in Clisson, produced in 1895 and kept in Manchester City Gallery.

Guigné must certainly have copied the work during the 1895 Salon where Harpignies presented this large canvas. The composition is strong and contrasting, revealing a mist settling on the stream and enveloping the silhouette of the fortress of Clisson. The mix of styles between the two artists is a total success, becoming a work in its own right at Guigné.