Hippolyte Berteaux (1843-1926) - Belle-île - Oil On Canvas Mounted On Cardboard

Originally from Saint-Quentin, Hippolyte Berteaux first trained at the drawing school in his hometown before joining the Ecole des beaux-arts in Paris. The son of a sculptor, he proved to be a precocious artist when he was admitted to the Salon for the first time at the age of fifteen. After enlisting voluntarily during the war of 1870, at the age of 19 he became ordinary painter to the Sultan of Constantinople, where he spent three years while continuing to exhibit at the Salon. On his return to France, he led an official career: he received orders for sets, notably in Nantes and Paris, obtained several medals at the Salon and was decorated knight (in 1892) then officer (in 1923) of the Legion of Honor. Recognized portraitist and decorator, Hippolyte Berteaux tries his hand at landscape from 1907. In particular, he produced several series of views of Belle-Île-en-Mer, which he exhibited at the Salon from 1912. From October 31 to November 14, 1919, he was the subject of a personal exhibition at the Galerie Georges Petit , on the occasion of which, out of 32 issues presented, 21 paintings are devoted to Belle-Île. Our painting is probably number 18, entitled Wild Coast (Belle-Île), as evidenced by the inscription "18" painted in red on the back of the cardboard on which the canvas is pasted. Commenting on the exhibition, Arsène Alexandre writes that he sees in it “a strong, scholarly and healthy painting. »[1]
[1] Arsène Alexandre, « La vie artistique. Petites expositions”, Le Figaro, November 2, 1919, p. 3.