|
|
Rochers à Fontainebleau
sous la neige
Oil on board |
Paul Louchet is the painter of winter, russet
twilights, snow and cold weather. As Harpignies (his teacher,
along with J. Lefebvre), he likes the forest and dissects patiently
the essence of the trees, the contours of the rocks. As Corot,
his sensitivity transposes the thousand iridescent variations
of the light.
In his youth, Paul Louchet is not attracted by
painting but by ornamental art. Friend of René Lalique,
Daum and Jajorelle, he acquires a certain fame in the technique
of engraving and becomes president of the bronze manufacturers'
syndicate.
Environmentalist before the term was ever invented,
Paul Louchet, who is the mayor of the small city of Herblay, in
Seine-Et-Oise, makes virulent protests, with lawsuit thrown in
(lawsuit that he lost), against the dumping of the Parisian sewers
in the prairie of Achères. The typhoid epidemic that results
will kill his 15 years old daughter. Distressed, he abandons his
commercial business and administrative functions to find shelter
in painting.
Of his tête-à-tête with nature,
some delicate and secret masterpieces will emerge. They are all
simply composed and bear the mark of a melancholic poetry: without
any unnecessary glitter or pomposity, but with an exactness of
touch and a deep sincerity in the art to harmonize the values
of colors.
Text translated from "1820-1920, Les Petits
Maîtres de la Peinture, Valeur de demain" by Gérald
Schurr. Published by Les Editions de l'Amateur. Volume 5, page
153-154
