Pardon Breton- Henri Maurice CAHOURS (1889-1974)

Henri Maurice CAHOURS (1889-1974)

While still in high school, he began studying at the Beaux-Arts d'Amiens, then completed his studies in Lille.
In 1911, he moved to Montmartre, the artists' quarter of Paris. He remained there until 1965, when he retired to the South of France.
He took part in the Salon des Artistes Français and the Salons des Indépendants, attracting rave reviews from critics and collectors alike.
Henri Maurice Cahours painted the streets of Montmartre, but soon specialized in seascapes, landscapes and genre scenes from Brittany.

Every year from 1920, he travels to Brittany, visiting Douarnenez among other places...
The artist's seascapes resemble those of the painter Marquet, with a well-tempered palette of subtle, delicately modulated colors, creating a contemplative atmosphere.

However, Cahours produced lively genre scenes, with a lively, cheerful, lively and colorful touch, where the whole soul of Brittany resounds.
Here, we witness a procession known as the Breton pardon.

A pardon is a form of pilgrimage found mainly in Brittany. A pardon is organized on a recurring fixed date, in a specific place, and is dedicated to a particular saint.
The pardon includes a mass and an outdoor procession to a sacred site following a set route. The saint's relics and banners are part of the procession. Some processions are quite special: some are circular (troménies), while others take place at sea.

In addition to the frame that defines the triptych scene, the composition is clearly visible. The grandmother and her granddaughter on the left, the beginning of the procession in the center and the church in the background on the right. The artist shows the viewer the happiness of the local people.