La Rochelle, The Clock Tower By Gaston Balande, 1961

One of Gaston Balande's favorite themes: La Rochelle. Painting signed lower left: Balande 61 The literature on this painter is abundant, Gaston Balande taught himself to draw by copying engravings and chromolithographs crossed on the stalls of the Saujon market where he lived. He did well there, even winning the first drawing prize at his primary school. Having obtained his study certificate, he cannot continue his education and must work. His mother wants to make him a pastry chef, a profession that she considers useful in the family restaurant. The young man refused and landed a first job as an apprentice painter with a bodybuilder, then a second, with a building painter, before finding a job suited to him with a painting restorer in Cholet where he really took a liking to to painting and decided to make a career out of it. His boss even introduced him to easel painting by accompanying him to paint on the motif. Admitted to the National School of Decorative Arts, he can finally benefit from real artistic training, but he can only attend evening classes to continue his daytime jobs in order to ensure his livelihood......see more on google