d'Esparbes Jean – The Refugees – Oil On Canvas – Signed

A group of 6 people, including at least 1 child, surround a cart pulled by a horse. The scene is filled with poignant details: the little girl's pink dress as she walks, the woman holding a lamb in her arms while holding the reins of the horse, the woman who seems exhausted as she pushes the cart... This work, which we do not know whether it was painted during the Second World War or at another time, represents all the refugees in the world, forced to take a leap into the unknown to save their lives. The group stands out clearly against a background covered in spots of color. The brushstrokes, broad on the background, are more precise on the characters. The little girl's pink dress and a patch of blue sky on the right suggest that hope, despite everything, exists.
This powerful work is signed at the bottom left. It is in excellent condition, clean and without retouching. It is offered in a gilded frame from the early 20th century, in good condition.

The artist
Jean d'Esparbès is known as one of the main painters of the Butte Montmartre in Paris. However, he was born a few kilometers from the capital, in Fontainebleau, his father being the curator of the castle of this city. The latter would introduce Renoir and Bonnard to his son. Jean d'Esparbès expressed his desire to be a painter very early on and first settled in Montparnasse, where he met Derain, Modigliani, etc. He settled on the Butte in 1929. He became a local figure of the place.
Haunted by death, he painted melancholic, often dreamlike compositions, in shades of brown and green. He paid particular attention to children. The works of Jean d'Esparbès were exhibited on numerous occasions, from 1919 until his death in 1968.
A retrospective was organized at the Montmartre Museum in 1988. The works of Jean d'Esparbès were the subject of numerous public sales.

Work visible at the gallery (07240). ​​​​​​​
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