Robert Dessales-quentin (1885-1958) The House Of The Consuls In Périgueux Dordogne

Robert DESSALES-QUENTIN
(Brantôme 1885 - 1958)
The house of the Consuls of Périgueux
Gouache watercolor
H. 23 cm; L. 31 cm
Signed lower right, Located lower left

Provenance: Private collection, Périgueux

Robert Dessales-Quentin was born in one of the most beautiful villages in France: Brantôme, nicknamed the Venice of Périgord, since it is located on the banks of the Dronne, a river which has become a natural defense by encircling the town. This small town in the north of Périgord was the playground throughout the artist's life. At four years old, he completely lost his hearing following treatment that was unsuitable for his intolerance to quinine, which was unknown at the time. His father, a notary from Brantôme, decided to quickly send him to Paris where he would study at the National Institute of Deaf Mutes. Aware of his artistic tastes, his parents had him enrolled at the Jullian Academy, in the workshop of the famous Jean-Paul Laurens. A man of taste and terribly attached to his land. Dessales-Quentin easily turned to landscapes rather than history painting to which his studies predestined him. It is in Périgord that he will quickly return and find his way in the representation of local heritage. Castles, beautiful residences, churches and city views were presented in 1909 at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. It was in watercolor that he was most at ease, even obtaining a Grand Honorable Mention at the Salon in 1928, a rare occurrence for this medium. In oil he will have several different periods and styles, in particular a period that could be called "wisteria", due to the recurring presence of this plant between the two wars in his paintings. A drawing teacher for more than fifteen years at the great Saint-Joseph Institution in Périgueux, and in his workshop on rue du Plantier, he was named by his students the "genius left-hander". It is also within this workshop that Dessales-Quentin welcomed the “all of Périgord” each year for an extremely anticipated exhibition of his works. Accustomed to old Périgord stones, he will not abandon "elsewhere". Corrèze will be a land of recurring passage, but also the Basque Country, both French and Spanish. He will exhibit his works in many French cities, traces of which we find very regularly through the well-known labels on the back of the watercolors and their original frames.

A stone's throw from his workshop, going down towards the Isle, Dessales-Quentin came to sketch the famous Maison de Consuls, originally located on the banks of the river. It has since been partly hidden by the quay built in the 19th century which obstructs the low windows of this tall building.