Marie Réol (1880-1963) Seaside In Douarnenez? Brittany Massiac

Marie RÉOL
(Massiac 1880 – Douarnenez 1963)
Seaside in Douarnenez ?
Oil on canvas
H. 54 cm; L. 65 cm
Signed lower left

Provenance : Private collection, Périgord

Born in the heart of Cantal, Marie Réol left to study Fine Arts in Paris, where she met Louis-Marie Désiré-Lucas. This Breton master will become “his” master. Going from teacher, to friend, then husband whose stylistic influence will be felt throughout Marie Réol's career. The couple is divided between Douarnenez where Désiré-Lucas has a large residence, Espalion where they have a house overlooking the Lot and the Vieux Pont, as well as in Paris. Obviously, through his friendship with the Périgord Lucien de Maleville, Désiré-Lucas came accompanied by his wife on several occasions to the Dordogne. Did she, like her husband, sketch views of our landscapes? We do not know of any compositions today...

His work, presented at the Salon in 1908, is concentrated in many very fresh still lifes, often placed in recognizable interiors. Some are easily located, notably in front of a window overlooking the Old Pont d'Espalion, or in front of the gray granite stones of the Kerbervet manor in Douarnenez.

Our composition created in Brittany is most certainly a view of a hamlet near the couple's home. Views of Douarnez are common in the landscapes of Réol. This extremely luminous and dense canvas is a rarity in its construction and its tones. The royal blue of the sea contrasts with the central hamlet struck by the sun's rays, giving an isolated appearance to these homes and its inhabitants.