Adrien Bas (1884-1926) - Spring On The Saône

Signed lower right. With E. Bouche frame. Oil on cardboard.

The painting Spring on the Saône by Adrien Bas subtly evokes the fresh and luminous atmosphere of a spring morning. The artist uses a delicate palette of pale greens, greys, and blues to capture the gentle essence of the season. In the foreground, a flowering tree, depicted with light touches of white and soft green, suggests springtime renewal. In the background, the river Saône winds peacefully, reflecting the muted colors of the cloudy sky and surrounding vegetation. The presence of industrial chimneys emitting grey smoke discreetly contrasts with this idyllic setting, introducing a realistic note characteristic of the early 20th century when Adrien Bas was active. The painting reveals an impressionistic sensibility, emphasizing immediacy, luminous atmosphere, and the bittersweet poetry of a landscape caught between nature and industrialization—traits typical of Adrien Bas’s personal style.

Adrien Bas, born into a silk-making family, entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon in 1902, where he was taught by painter Pierre Bonnaud. Between 1920 and 1924, he joined Les Ziniars, a group of innovative Lyonnais artists. Beginning in 1901, he exhibited with the Société Lyonnaise des Beaux-Arts, followed by regular participation in the Salon d’Automne Lyonnais from 1909 to 1923. A close friend of Henri Focillon, director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Bas saw twelve of his paintings and numerous drawings added to the museum's collection.

Primarily known for his landscapes of Lyon and its surroundings, Bas specialized in pastels, a medium he adopted due to his fragile health, as his paint box was too heavy to carry. Always working en plein air, he was captivated by the changing light along the banks of the Saône. He excelled in depicting the transparency of water and mist, using long, subtle strokes. Avoiding the conventional landscapes typical of watercolorists, he focused on locales such as Villeurbanne, La Mulatière, Fourvière, and La Villette.

His style departed from traditional Lyonnais painting, drawing inspiration from Fauvism. His works are characterized by broad, generous brushstrokes, marked by a strong and ample touch. However, Bas destroyed much of his own work, favoring the spontaneity of quick sketches (pochades) over fully finished canvases.

He passed away at just 41 years old in 1925, succumbing to tuberculosis, leaving behind a sensitive and luminous body of work.