Louis Cabié (1853-1939) The Banks Of The Charente Near Cognac

Louis-Alexandre CABIÉ
(Dol-de-Bretagne 1853 - Bordeaux 1939)
The banks of the Charente near Cognac
Oil on panel
H. 36.5 cm; W. 52 cm
Signed lower right, dated 1894

Provenance: Private collection, Bordeaux

Louis Cabié, a renowned artist in France and particularly in the Bordeaux region, even during his lifetime, traveled throughout the great southwest throughout his life. A student of Harpignies whose passion for vegetation in the manner of the Barbizon school can be found, he would transcribe the simplicity of picturesque French landscapes until his death. Spectacular trees, forest atmospheres, places steeped in history, captivating valleys, or even a landscape in its simplest form that he would know how to enhance with a vital contrast.

In 1893, Louis-Alexandre Cabié crisscrossed the banks of the Charente in all weathers and in different seasons. We find more than ten panels of the same format, where we regularly see the group of poplars, arranged in a line at the edge of the river. In 1894 and then in 1895, Cabié will produce two new series of his landscapes of the surroundings of Cognac. These will be the only three years of creation in these places. On several paintings we can distinguish further downstream a bridge, that of Châtenay, a former commune now attached to Cognac in Charente. The previous year, Cabié produced, among other things, a view of the Charente at Châtenay, offered to his friend Paul Berthelot, author, journalist and director of Bordeaux newspapers. The latter will bequeath this piece to the Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux which owns it today.

Do not hesitate to ask us for the iconography of the other paintings representing this place. We are looking for any work or any information relating to the artist to complete his biography as well as a catalogue raisonné currently being compiled.