Édouard Leon Cortès

Place de la République, 20th Century Oil on Canvas by Edouard Léon Cortès

Circa 1925

EMILIO GRAU SALA Spanish, 1911 - 1975 RUE DE PARIS signed "Grau Sala" (lower right) oil on canvas 24 x 19-3/4 inches (61 x 50 cm.) framed: 29-3/8 x 25-1/4 inches (74.5 x 64 cm.) PRO...

EMILIO GRAU SALA Spanish, 1911 - 1975 JARDIN FAMILIAL signed "Grau Sala" (lower right) signed again, dated & titled "Grau Sala / 1974 / Jardin Familial" (on the reverse) oil on canvas 18-1/8 x 21-3/4 inches (46 x 55 cm.) framed: 25 x 28-1/2 inches (63.5 x 72.5 cm.) PROVENANCE Private Collection, Barcelona, Spain Emilio Grau Sala came from a family of artists. He was born in Barcelona in 1911 and his father, a good cartoonist, had been one of the promoters of the "Salon des Humanistes" and made his exhibitions normally in "Sala Parés", Barcelona. His first works were exhibited at the Salon des Independents. In the years 1930-33 he had painted under the influence of Cubism, especially that of Torres García. It is from that time a painting of the port of Barcelona, ​​geometric and structural, which completely anticipated what would later be his work. His personality began fully painting watercolors and oils with a certain fantasy character, with a point of decorative instinct and themes full of naivety and grace. Romantic interiors, paddocks, port scenes, sailors, etc. Grau Sala was essentially a Mediterranean painter, son of post-impressionism and enriched with French painting of the last fifty years. Mediterranean because his work has the color and light of that land. He understood and assimilated impressionist painting very well, and for that reason he was never subject to the modules of a formulist realism, nor the sexigencias of the forms. In Paris he found the best environment to give us a fruitful and intense work, because he could use the expressive potential of French art to enrich it. All this made him a very esteemed artist everywhere where his work was known. He was also very often required to illustrate books and publications in Paris. Also his posters were very successful. He painted a large number of subjects, but perhaps the theme of horse racing is where you can see in a very clear way the joyful and optimistic life that was lived at that time. In this fabric there is an explosion of juicy and vivid colors full of ingenuity and simplicity in its composition. Only a teacher could turn the complicated into something simple and beautiful. Before this work we feel a deep emotion, the emotion of before starting a horse race. Joy and nervousness at the same time. Especially since it is a direct emotion. There are no intermediaries between our eyes and what the work intends to tell us. This is precisely what seduces and catches us of this painting. His works can be found in the Museums of the Villa de Paris, L'Ile de France Museum, at the Château de Sceaux, Honfleur Museum, La Rochelle Museum, Barcelona Museum...

This Robert Farrington's painting serves as a visual gateway to a distinct period in post-war France, composed with a deep respect for the elements interwoven into the collective memory of Paris. His work adeptly engages with the archetypal settings and concepts that convey the quintessence of this beloved and frequently visited capital. As the viewer gazes upon this artwork, they are instantly immersed in the ambiance of a food trade street, and especially the familiar historic brasserie “Au Pied de Cochon” - the sole establishment in the painting that still exists nowadays - and its surroundings at the heart of the bustling Halles district. At "6 Rue Coquillère", the act of opening the doors, each adorned with handles that resemble pig's trotters, transports one through a temporal gateway into the quintessential French world of "la cochonnaille"... The renowned "Pied de Cochon" restaurant made its debut in 1947. In its early days, it became the preferred gathering place for the "Forts des Halles" – the diligent laborers who tirelessly transported goods through the pavilions of the old Halles de Paris. From these dedicated workers to the luminaries of the time, this establishment emerged as a symbol of Parisian life. Farrington reconstructs a scene around this restaurant, nourished by her own Parisian experience when he was a young American living in France. An iconic Brigitte Bardot poster...

Illegible signature lower right. Oil measures 38x46 cm. Frameless. Dated 1976.