Michel Brosseau"The Crew" oil painting of three sailors on the boom of a sailboat on the ocean 2023
2023
About the Item
- Creator:Michel Brosseau (French)
- Creation Year:2023
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 71 in (180.34 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Edgartown, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU164212282542
Michel Brosseau
Michel Brosseau was born in Nantes and has lived in Bordeaux for many years. Both cities are on the Atlantic coast of France and have rich maritime histories, highlighted by prosperous trade with the West Indies in the 18th century. “The scent of cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon still vaguely hangs in these ports today,” says Brosseau.
The French artist is known for his nautical paintings and draws inspiration from his childhood memories. “I strolled the docks between the sugar and rum warehouses,” he says. “And I think it’s this nostalgia for a traditional sea lifestyle that used to fascinate me and still does.”
Brosseau’s education is atypical for a painter — he studied political science as an undergraduate and received a master’s degree in law. Although he painted during and after his years at school, he worked as a journalist and a political activist upon graduating. He could not stay away from his true passion for long, however, and eventually returned to painting full time. From a young age, the sea captivated Brousseau.
“My first paintings were devoted to maritime themes mixed with Surrealism,” he says. Paintings from his teenage years depict flying boats or parting waters, like the iconic scene from Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 film The Ten Commandments. As Brosseau developed, his style moved closer to realism. His oil paintings have a distinct look — graphic and contemporary — that he uses to explore the philosophical implications of marine life.
“The fascinating part of the sea is that it’s a total and paradoxical universe,” Brosseau says. “There is always the fascination with going out to sea and the anticipation of returning to port.” While his style is consistent, Brosseau experiments with different techniques and themes. He rarely paints open seascapes and his canvases frequently include animate and inanimate symbols of the nautical world — toiling sailors, faded buoys with chipped paint, weather-battered rowboats.
“Maybe I prefer the maritime places, objects, and artifacts of the sea culture to the sea itself because I can tame and control them,” Brosseau says. At the heart of his work is an awareness of the austerity of life — at sea and ashore — and the different ways humanity reacts to nature. “I found this a bit in Martha’s Vineyard,” he says, “this opposition between the Palladian refinement of 18th-century New England architecture and the odds and ends of Menemsha Harbor.”
When Brosseau first visited the Vineyard he was struck by the diverse wealth of scenery the island presents to a painter. “Whatever the topic, there is always an atmosphere to be captured,” he says. Inspired by the Vineyard’s majestic sailboats, tranquil harbors, and quaint landscapes, Brosseau began a series of paintings dedicated to the island’s nostalgic charm. His work has been featured at the Eisenhauer Gallery in Edgartown since the summer of 2006.
Find original Michel Brosseau paintings on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Eisenhauer Gallery)
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Edgartown, MA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- "Life Buoy" oil painting of a white lifebuoy hanging on a dark shingled wallBy Michel BrosseauLocated in Edgartown, MAMichel Brosseau was born in Nantes and has lived in Bordeaux for many years. Both cities are on the Atlantic coast of France and have rich maritime histories, highlighted by prospero...Category
2010s Still-life Paintings
MaterialsOil, Linen
- "Allure" Oil painting of a girl with long hair swimming in a pool underwaterBy Carol O'MaliaLocated in Edgartown, MACarol O’Malia’s paintings depict ordinary objects, people, and places, and the ephemeral moments that are often overlooked in the rush of our everyday lives. These instants, like hea...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- "Dreamer 3" vertical abstract oil painting of a free diver with flippersBy Elizabeth LennieLocated in Edgartown, MAWater has been the backdrop to the significant events in my life. The reconstruction of radiant moments that exist in memory define the images I choose to paint, of swimming in the l...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- "Dive In" oil painting of girl diving into pool with white bathing suit and capBy Debbie MillerLocated in Edgartown, MAA Rhode Island native, I earned a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Since then I’ve worked as a freelance artist, decorative painter, teacher and master painter at a folk art c...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- "Texting Sylvio" abstract oil painting of people standing in turquoise waterBy Elizabeth LennieLocated in Edgartown, MAWater has been the backdrop to the significant events in my life. The reconstruction of radiant moments that exist in memory define the images I choose to paint, of swimming in the l...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- "Paradise Study" abstract oil painting of a swimmer floating, pink and purpleBy Elizabeth LennieLocated in Edgartown, MAWater has been the backdrop to the significant events in my life. The reconstruction of radiant moments that exist in memory define the images I choose to paint, of swimming in the l...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- The FamilyLocated in Miami, FLJohannes Boekhoudt is a Dutch artist born on October 20, 1966. In 1973, Boekhoudt immigrated with his parents to Costa Rica, eventually working as a commercial and air ambulance pilo...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil
- Dust Ford KingLocated in Santa Monica, CAIn this series of portraits, Birch materializes enigmatic, ectoplasmic figures in his psychologically charged canvases linking sympathies between external forces and interior emotion...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Linen, Oil
- Red Collider Unseen FoxLocated in Santa Monica, CAIn this series of portraits, Birch materializes enigmatic, ectoplasmic figures in his psychologically charged canvases linking sympathies between external forces and interior emotion...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil
- AmistadesLocated in Miami, FLJohannes Boekhoudt is a Dutch artist born on October 20, 1966. In 1973, Boekhoudt immigrated with his parents to Costa Rica, eventually working as a commercial and air ambulance pilo...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsOil, Linen
- FantasyLocated in Miami, FLJohannes Boekhoudt is a Dutch artist born on October 20, 1966. In 1973, Boekhoudt immigrated with his parents to Costa Rica, eventually working as a commercial and air ambulance pilo...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil
- Triptych Oil on linen: 'Elephant'By David MellenLocated in New York, NYDavid Mellen has proceeded to work according to his own design. He sees art as a medium of discovery rather than a display of untrammeled emotion. This has very little to do with a ...Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil