Big White
View Similar Items
Michel BrosseauBig White2016
2016
About the Item
- Creator:Michel Brosseau (French)
- Creation Year:2016
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 59 in (149.86 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Edgartown, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16421126303
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)
- "Buoys"By 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
MaterialsLinen, Oil
- "Still Reflection" photorealist oil painting of a dinghy filled with blue waterBy 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
MaterialsLinen, Oil
- "The Meeting" a photorealist oil painting depicting a nautical landscapeBy 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 Realist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsOil, Linen
- "Bouees Bleues" a photorealist close up view of bouees in tones of blueBy 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 Realist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsOil, Linen
- "On the Bow" a photorealist detailed view of a bow of a ship in rustic tonesBy 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 Realist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsOil, Linen
- "Fisherman's Pride" a photorealist landscape of fishing buoys in vibrant tonesBy 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 Realist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsOil, Linen
- Chinese Contemporary art by Fu Ze-Nan - Flower No.2By Fu ZenanLocated in Paris, IDFOil on linen Fu Zenan always known as Da Han is a Chinese artist born in 1953 who lives & works in Songzhuang, Beijing, China. He is graduated from the Suzhou University. In 1985, F...Category
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil
- "Boathouse, Evening Light" contemporary impressionist oil painting en plein airBy Ben FenskeLocated in Sag Harbor, NY"Boathouse, Evening Light" is a contemporary impressionist oil painting, painted en plein air. A recognizable East Coast scene in the Fenske style. Ben Fenske (b. 1978) although a ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil, Canvas
- Mid Century Chrysanthemums in Deco Vase Still-LifeLocated in Soquel, CAVibrant mid-century floral still-life of a bouquet of Chrysanthemums in a classic Deco style trapezoid vase by C.A. Wilkenson (American, 20th C), c.1960. Signed "C.A. Wilkenson" lowe...Category
1960s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil
$559 Sale Price20% Off - KK Kozik, Sunny, oil on linen, 22 x 31 inchesBy KK KozikLocated in Darien, CTKK Kozik is an artist living and working in Sharon, CT and Brooklyn, NY. Her paintings have ben exhibited widely in the United States and abroad and have been reviewed in publications such as The New York Times, Artforum, The New Yorker and Art in America, among others. Images of her commission for the New York MTA, stained glass windows at the Rockaway Beach...Category
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsCrayon, Rag Paper, Linen, Oil
- Alga Aligata No. 5 - seaweed kelp oceanic abstracted work on paperBy Frédéric ChoiselLocated in Burlingame, CAOriginal work of art that utilizes both painting and drawing - Mixed-media: Sumi Ink, graphite, metallic pigment and acrylic on Moulin de Larroque paper, made by hand in a mill in Fr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Paintings
MaterialsMetal, Gold Leaf
- BEYOND THE PALE - Photorealism / Still Life / Glass and LightBy Steve SmulkaLocated in New York, NYSteve Smulka creates hyperrealistic and photorealistic still life paintings that capture glass bottles in natural light and interprets the illumination in dramatic compositions.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Still-life Paintings
MaterialsLinen, Oil