Charles Euphrasie Kuwasseg (1833-1904), "the Wreck Raiders"

Wreck looters. Oil on canvas, signed lower left. Presence of age cracks on the canvas, small wear at the edge of the frame. Dimensions: 32 x 46 cm without frame / 45 x 59 cm with frame. Old restored frame. Charles Euphrasie Kuwasseg is a French painter born September 29, 1833 in Draveil and died October 27, 1904 in Paris. Charles Euphrasie Kuwasseg is the son of the Austrian painter Karl Joseph KUWASSEG, with whom he took his first steps as an artist. A student of Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager and Eugène Isabey, Charles E. Kuwasseg abandoned painting for a time to become a long-distance sailor. He specializes in landscapes, in the movement of the Barbizon school. Kuwasseg's favorite subjects are Breton and Norman ports as well as those of the North Sea and Alpine villages. He collaborates with Théophile Poilpot on different series of paintings. From 1855 Charles Euphrasie Kuwasseg exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon where he won numerous awards. Subsequently, he became an art teacher, and notably had Émile Clarel as a student. Perfectly mastering the art of contrast and demonstrating exceptional finesse, Charles E. Kuwasseg was one of the most admired painters of the 19th century. Certain works by Charles Kuwasseg (oils on canvas or on panels) are notably visible at the fine arts museums of Rouen and Rennes as well as at the Maltwood art museum of the University of Victoria (Canada).