French school Provence Village - Rare Oil painting Signed

About the Item

Landscape "Provencal Village" Provencal landscape from Henri Farré. According to Wikipedia, Henri Farré was a painter and aviator during WWI. Born in the South of France (Foix), he joined France while he was in Buenos Aires during the mobilization. He became an official Army painter specializing in aeronautical painting. According to Richard Norton Gallery, "Farre flew in the cockpits along with the pilots of the famed Lafayette Escadrille, sketching the air battles as they were taking place. After the battles, Farre created finished, larger oil paintings based on these dogfight sketches. He was given the title of "Observateur Bombardier au Groupe d'Escadreille de Bombardment" by the French government and received the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre from France for his war efforts. Farre wrote a book of his exploits called "Sky Fighters of France" in 1919. He exhibited at the Paris Salons and won a gold medal at the Salon des Artists Francais in 1934. In 1918, a large collection of Farre's aerial combat paintings was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago to benefit the children of the French aviators killed in action. The exhibition received a nationwide audience, traveling to major cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Laurance Rockefeller, the noted philanthropist and businessman, purchased approximately 75 of these paintings, which are today in the Collection of the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Farre spent time in the U.S. before the Great War and returned to France upon the outbreak of war. After WWI, he settled in Chicago and maried an heiress, who was a 'modiste' (couturier), Marguerite Grassino. Farre lived and painted in Chicago until his death in 1934. " Structural Analysis : Inside a street view of a Provencal Village with flat roofs. On the foreground, a street is crossing the scene. It is surrounding by ocher-colored buildings with orange awnings. On the right side of the painting, a massive vegetation hangs over a porch. In the background, there is a cloudy bluish sky. Concerning the structure, the painter used thick paints to create texture. Thus, light movement creates new system of shadow and lights on the painting. It's also a geometrical painting, composed with triangular shapes.It seems very basic with triangle overlay/ superposition. Color analysis: The painter used complementary colors blue of the sky and orange of the awnings, when placed side by side, each heightens the visual intensity of the other. Technique: oil on canvas 54x65 cm / 21.3x25.6 inch with gold frame: 71x82,5cm / 28 x 32.5 inch Thickness: 3,5cm It is signed Henri Farré. There is no date mentioned on the artwork but I can guess that the artwork is after WWI. He started to use thick painting for the representation of landscape or cityscape (see Chicago paintings) Condition : Good condition - No cracks, no discoloration, no missing parts of paint. There are 2 restorations. It warps or curls in the corners, probably need to be tense again. (see picture blue corner). But It doesn't affect the painting by deformation. Provenance: Private collection - France. (Shipping from France is fast 4-6 days.)

Attributed to:
French School Old Masters (French)
Dimensions:
Height: 21.26 in (54 cm)Width: 25.6 in (65 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
Medium:
Oil
Movement & Style:
Impressionist
Period:
1920-1929
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Zofingen, CH
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2203214345882