Régate à Pornic - virage de bord
signed 'R. du Gardier' (lower right), signed and inscribed with title (on a label attached to the stretcher)
oil on canvas
54 x 65.2cm (21 1/4 x 25 3/4in).

Footnotes

Raoul du Gardier studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and was a pupil of Theobald Chartran, Jules-Elie Delaunay and trained with Matisse under Gustave Moreau who encouraged them both to express themselves freely. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais in 1894 and was to receive his first honourable mention in 1897. In 1900 he received a bronze medal at the l'Exposition Universelle for his work of the Femmes Kabyles d'Algerie. His painting Femme en blanc sur la plage was acquired by the state in 1904 for the Museum in Luxembourg and now hangs in the Museum Petiet Limoux. He was honoured with the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1920.

Gardier was passionate about the sea, and it is his marine and coastal subjects for which he is best known. In recognition of his paintings of these subjects, in 1923 the French government awarded him the title of Peintre de la Marine. The title was bestowed upon an artist each year and previous holders included Paul Signac and Maxime Maufra.

In particular, the present work exemplifies Gardier's sensibilities when capturing water. Here, he has dedicated two-thirds of the canvas to accurately rendering the movement and sheen of the water, whilst expertly capturing the reflection of the boats. The cropped composition of this work is typical of his style and indicates the influence of photography. Through his impressionistic handling of the paint and clear understanding of the subject, the work is imbued with a real sense of atmosphere and light.

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- 19th Century & Orientalist Paintings