Louis Cabié (1853-1939) Pontoons On The Arcachon Basin Ferret Andernos

Louis-Alexandre CABIÉ
(Dol-de-Bretagne 1853 - Bordeaux 1939)
Fishing village and pontoon houses on Bassin d'Arcachon
Oil on canvas
H. 24 cm; L. 46 cm
Signed lower right

Provenance: Private collection, Bordeaux, for more than 70 years

Louis Cabié, renowned artist in France and particularly in the Bordeaux region, even during his lifetime, traveled throughout the great southwest throughout the 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.

Cabié discovered Andernos around 1975 and lived there in 1878 during his first marriage. He crisscrossed the Arcachon Basin, bringing back numerous works that are highly sought after today. After his divorce in 1890 he seemed to avoid the Andernos area in his compositions but still came very regularly to the Basin.

Our work, most certainly produced during the 1900s, is a rare subject. These are pontoon houses, simply called “pontoons” which served as dwellings, mainly to guard the oyster beds. The place is not precisely recognizable, but you have to look at the northern coast of the Basin, since at the bottom of the composition the mouth and the southern coast can be seen very clearly. To be located between Andernos and Ferret.