Léon Detroy (1859-1955) "gargilesse And The House Of George Sand V.1920" School Of Crozant, Gu

SUPERB and RARE pastel by Léon Detroy representing a view of Gargilesse and the house of George Sand circa 1920/1930, signed lower left. Format outside the frame of the pastel alone 46x60cm This is therefore a new work by Léon Detroy, this time a pastel made around 1920/1930 which represents a view of Gargilesse where we see the church, the old tower and the George Sand's house with its staircase and ladder. A view that the painter will achieve a few times but much more often in oil, this time he paints it with pastel in his emblematic technique, where he mixes large flat areas and slightly divided touches, his palette is obviously typical with his browns, oranges , purples, pinks, greens etc... A very accomplished pastel that can be considered major in Detroy's work. A great painter among the greats, I only briefly present Léon Detroy, leader with Guillaumin, of the now famous Crozant School. With Guillaumin, these 2 painters will share the honors, the students, the friends but also the sites of the Creuse valley, Detroy being more attached to Gargilesse and its surroundings, while Guillaumin was more attached to Crozant and its surroundings. So first installed in Crozant, then in Fresselines and Gargilesse, he will become an essential figure in the Creuse valley. He had studied in Paris alongside Lebourg, like the latter, he left school quite quickly, as it was too academic for him. He will meet the Creuse around 1888, after having read Geoge Sand, and there he will meet Maurice Rollinat, Monet and will become the friend of Alluaud with whom he will share trips to Italy or to Agay where he will meet other great painters of the time, such as Valtat, Van den Eckout, Anquetin etc... who will be faithful to him all their lives. He received recognition from many artists and critics of the time. His techniques evolved throughout his life; he will adopt the touch, then become almost Fauve with a broader touch, then mix small touches and large flat areas like here, until he stylizes his motifs, whether in the Creuse, on the Côte d'Azur, in Collioure, in Italy, the Maghreb, Holland, Belgium, Brittany etc... he was therefore a great traveler, but it was the banks of the Mediterranean which attracted the artist the most. At the end of his career, settled in Gargillesse, he would hardly do anything other than still lifes, but they would have had a very important part in his career, some of them would be true masterpieces, as much as his landscapes; This one proves it to us once again. And even at the end of its life, the charm will continue to operate as its painting remains TRUE and SINCERE! Finally recognized as being one of the greatest painters in the Creuse valley, if not the greatest, his reputation continues to grow, even more so since the recent exhibition and the excellent work of Pascal Goes published by Les Ardents publishers: "Léon Detroy, a post-impressionist, from the lights of the south to the Creuse valley". This pastel is in perfect condition, delivered in a contemporary frame, just to hang. Guaranteed authentic work