Paul Madeline (1863-1920) "storm In The Valley, Caudebec ~1905" Ecole De Crozant, Lebourg,

Very original and superb small oil/cardboard by Paul Madeline representing a storm in the Seine valley near Caudebec in Normandy around 1903/1905, signed lower left + located on the back "Storm (Seine valley near Caudebec) Format painting alone 24x35cm or 31x42cm frame included This is a very pretty post-impressionist composition by Paul Madeline who paints here a storm in the Seine valley, most probably a study taken on the motif in a few minutes where. the artist wants to transcribe a storm and he succeeds magnificently thanks to his technique; we can actually see the effects of the wind and the rain thanks to his touch but also to his palette here in tones of gray, blue, orange, gray/ greens etc... We immediately recognize thanks to this touch that it is a fairly early work, most probably between 1903 and 1905. The painter must have been delighted with this composition since he signed it with his hand, which is not so common in Madeline's work because there is almost one painting in two that was not signed by her hand but by the workshop stamp later. A beautiful work by one of the greatest French post-impressionists who very often rivals Guillaumin, Detroy, Lebourg or Moret. Because today Paul Madeline is as much one of the masters of the Breton school alongside Moret, Maufra, Delavallée, Legoût-gérard.... as he is one of the masters of the Creuse valley alongside Guillaumin, Detroy, Alfred Smith or Alluaud. But he also painted in many other regions such as Alsace during the Great War, Provence and Normandy. Paul Madeline was born in Paris on October 7, 1863. A student at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he worked in a publishing house for a living and painted urban landscapes in his free time. In 1894, he discovered Creuse - a charming countryside in Limousin -, following a meeting with Maurice Rollinat and Léon Detroy at the home of a mutual friend. He exhibited at the Salon of French Artists in 1894, 1897 and 1899. Later, he was named a permanent member of the Salon d'Automne, as well as the Salon de la Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Then comes a great success for him. He devotes himself entirely to painting and comes to Creuse for several months a year, usually in the fall. A major figure among the painters of the Creuse, Paul Madeline is, like Alluaud, one of the emulators of Armand Guillaumin, drawing inspiration from his palette and his technique. But conversely, many other artists were inspired by him, including Clémentine Bale, perhaps the one who came closest to the master. In 1908, he founded "La Société Moderne", which included painters like Lebasque, Raffaëlli, Aman and Maurice Chabas. The Devambez gallery and Durand-Ruel are invited to their annual exhibitions. Madeline traveled a lot in the 1910s and, towards the end of his career, he introduced certain characters into his landscapes, wearing regional costumes, particularly from Brittany, his second favorite region where he loved going as much as to Creuse, especially in the counties of Douarnenez, Diben and Île de Bréhat. It will also go to Corrèze and the South, particularly towards Agay. The Salon des Indépendants devoted a retrospective to him in 1926, 6 years after his early death. Today his works are highly sought after by amateurs all over the world, some manage to sell for more than €20,000 and even beyond! This painting on cardboard is in good condition, delivered in a contemporary frame with black patina, there are surely better things to find than this type of frame, but it is the one that was offered when I bought it Work guaranteed authentic