(Dol-de-Bretagne 1853 - Bordeaux 1939)
The banks of the Charente near Cognac
Oil on panel
H. 33 cm; L. 55 cm
Signed lower right, dated 1893
Provenance: Private collection, Bordeaux
Louis Cabié, renowned artist in France and particularly in the Bordeaux region, even during his lifetime, traveled in the great southwest throughout his life. A student of Harpignies whose passion for vegetation is found in the manner of the Barbizon school, he transcribed until his death the simplicity of picturesque French landscapes. Spectacular trees, forest atmospheres, places steeped in history, captivating valleys, or even a landscape in its simplest form that will bring out a vital contrast.
In 1893, Louis-Alexandre Cabié traveled the banks of the Charente in all weathers and in different seasons. We find more than ten panels of the same format, where the group of poplars are regularly seen, arranged in a line at the edge of the river. Two years later, in 1895, Cabié produced a new series of his landscapes around Cognac. These will be the only two years of creation in these places. On several tables we can see a bridge further downstream, that of Châtenay, a former commune now attached to Cognac in Charente. That same year, 1893, Cabié produced, among other things, a view of the Charente at Châtenay in the opposite direction to our composition, offered to his friend Paul Berthelot, author, journalist and director of Bordeaux newspapers. He will offer this piece to the Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux, which owns it today.
Do not hesitate to ask us for the iconography of the other paintings representing this place.
We are looking for any work or information relating to the artist to complete his biography as well as a catalog raisonné currently being compiled.