Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

Georges Villain
Etretat, washerwomens in Normandy

Circa 1900

About the Item

Georges VILLAIN (1854, Paris – 1930) Washerwomen on the beach at Étretat Oil on canvas H. 51 cm; L. 65 cm Signed lower right Around 1900 Son of Eugène Marie François (1821-1897), who was a pupil of Charlet and Léon Cogniet, Georges trained with Henri Harpignies and Benjamin-Constant, and began to exhibit at the Paris Salon in 1877. He mainly produced landscapes of Brittany, in the region of Rennes and Saint-Malo, and of the south-west coast of the Channel (Granville, Avranches), where some Parisian views. In 1894, Villain traveled to the coasts of Upper Normandy, with views of Cayeux, then he "descended" to Étretat, which became his main subject from 1896/1897. He turns out to be an excellent observer of the seaside or laborious activities of the Cauchoise city, and thus represents on several occasions the washerwomen, or washerwomen, on the beach of Étretat. At the Cercle Volney in Paris, in February 1897: Washers at Étretat. At the Salon de Versailles (exhibition of the Society of Friends of the Arts of Seine et Oise) of 1898 (July 3 – October 2): Washers, Étretat beach, under No. 312. Villain presents four works at this exhibition. At the Paris Salon of 1903, Washers; Étretat beach, under No. 1729; then at the Paris Salon of 1904, same title, under No. 1799; and again at the Paris Salon of 1905, same title, under the number 1899. It is probably the same painting, and possibly ours, re-exhibited three times. At the Salon du Havre in 1905, a watercolor: Washers, beach at Étretat, morning, under No. 767 At the Salon de Toulouse from 1908 (May to September), Washers, beach at Étretat, under No. 995 At the Salon d'Évreux in 1908 (July-August). We find written in the bulletin of the Society of Friends of the Arts of the department of Eure: "The washers were observed and noted by Mr. Villain at the seaside of Étretat, with a just realism of pose and colors , skill and even boldness of craftsmanship… and a flickering touch”. Our subject is emblematic of everyday life in Etretat at the time. It shows the washerwomen investing the beach at low tide, when, the salt water receding, the fresh water from the rivers flows underground to the shore; by pushing aside the pebbles, the washerwomen create cavities which then fill with fresh water; they work until the rising tide comes to flow back the fresh water. Alphonse Karr thus describes this picturesque task, the fountain: “It is there that all the news of the country is sold; it is there that we talk about everything and everyone, that we discuss, that we judge, that we absolve, that we condemn... it is there that we learn the news of the sailors fishing, let people comment on loves and marriages. It says how the fish was sold at Fécamp, how much at Le Havre; it recounts the disasters caused by the last gust of wind, the dreams we had at night”. In this beautifully luminous canvas, Georges Villain has faithfully captured both the hard work of the washerwomen and the intensity of their social interaction. We obviously recognize above the washers, the imposing silhouette of the famous cliff of Étretat, contrasted by the light tones of the pebbles reflecting the sun.
  • Creator:
    Georges Villain
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1900
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.08 in (51 cm)Width: 25.6 in (65 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    BELEYMAS, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1857215452462

More From This Seller

View All
Beach landscape on Atlantic French coast
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Jean-Georges PASQUET (Périgueux 1851 - 1936) Pointe de Suzac at Saint Georges de Didonne Oil on canvas H. 59 cm; W. 85 cm Signed and dated 1885 lower left Provenance: Private collec...
Category

1850s French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Les Salines
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
"Les Salines" is the French titled. Pascal Vinardel was born on April 29, 1951 in Casablanca, Morocco, to brillant cultured parents, his father a lawyer and magistrate and his mothe...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Le Lavandou in Mediterranean Sea
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
A former student of the Ecole nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Didier Lapène completed this renowned training by benefiting from an important stay at the Casa Velázquez in Madrid. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rochs on the sea at Ploumanac'h in Côtes d'Armor Brittany - France
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Léon Pierre FÉLIX (Périgueux 1869 - 1940) The coast at Ploumanac'h - Bretagne Oil on canvas H. 46 cm; L. 55 cm Signed lower left, dated 1901 Provenance: Private collection, Burgundy...
Category

1930s French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The cliffs of Marqueyssac and Castelnaud in Dordogne
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Hans SEILER (Neuchâtel 1907 – 1986) The cliffs of Marqueyssac and Castelnaud, seen from La Roque Gageac Oil on canvas H. 40 cm; L. 83 cm Signed lower right, dated 1973 Provenance : ...
Category

1950s French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large river edge with birds in France
By Edmond Yon
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Edmond YON (Montmartre 1841 – Paris 1897) Riverbank with birds Oil on canvas H. 79.5 cm; L. 130 cm Signed lower right and dated 1876 Original frame Exhibition: 1876, Salon des Artis...
Category

1870s French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

SAMO ET
Located in LE HAVRE, FR
Pierre ALLARD SAMO ET, 2022 Oil on canvas Size: 92 x 73 cm Signed lower left Painting in perfect condition. Frameless. Sold with invoice and certificate of authenticity. Norman p...
Category

2010s French School Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Peindre comme un âne et descendre au Lapin Agile
Located in LE HAVRE, FR
Pierre ALLARD Peindre comme un âne et descendre au Lapin Agile, 2016 Oil on canvas Size: 73 x 92 cm Signed lower left Painting in perfect condition. Frameless. Sold with invoice ...
Category

2010s French School Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Place du Tertre
Located in LE HAVRE, FR
Yves LAC (1944-2021) Place du Tertre Oil on canvas. Size: 60 x 73 cm Signed lower left. Painting in good condition. Montparnasse type frame. Offered Size with frame: 81 x 92 cm ...
Category

1960s French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A Soldier Blowing the Trumpet by French Artist Charles Bouchez, Oil on Canvas
Located in Stockholm, SE
Charles Bouchez (1811-1882) French A Soldier Blowing the Trumpet oil on canvas signed and dated ch. Bouchez 1842 canvas dimensions 6.29 x 4.13 inches (16 x 10.5 cm) frame 10.23 x 7...
Category

1840s French School Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Guillaume-François Colson - Sur la plage, french, beach, 19th century, painting
Located in London, GB
Guillaume-François Colson (1785-1860) Sur la plage oil on canvas 35 x 65 cm signed 'Colson' (lower right) Price: £18,000 GBP Provenance: MacConnal-Mason Fine Paintings Private coll...
Category

19th Century French School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In the Garden, French school impressionist, original oil on canvas, figurative
Located in Naples, Florida
An early 20th Century French School oil on canvas painting of a lady and her dog in a garden in summertime. This high-quality warm and vibrant, although unsigned, work is deftly pain...
Category

Early 20th Century French School Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All