Joseph Lépine (1867-1943) - Vase of flowers and fruit bowl

Oil on hardboard, signed lower right
Dimensions 79 x 73 cm

Joseph Lépine is a French post-impressionist whose importance is not yet sufficiently recognized. This great colorist, born in Rochefort, completed his first drawings in 1892. His teacher was Louis Cabié, a disciple of the Barbizon School from Bordeaux, who tried in vain to dissuade the young artist from turning to the Impressionist movement in vogue in Paris. Joseph Lépine's first paintings were immediately noticed in 1894, and exhibited by the Société des Amis des Arts de Bordeaux.

In 1897, Joseph Lépine moved to Paris, where his first works were accepted at the Salon de la Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1897 and 1898. In the early years of the 20th century, he became an associate member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and a member of the Salon des Indépendants in Paris, where he rubbed shoulders with Gromaire, Matisse, Guérin, Dunoyer de Segonzac and, above all, Paul Signac, with whom he would later become very close.

Lépine's painting is powerful, with vivid colors and strong contrasts. His brushstrokes, similar to those of Gustave Loiseau, are made up of broad, juxtaposed strokes. His flamboyant yellows contrast with shadows whose edges are tinged with violet, as advocated by Signac. His Neo-Impressionist technique of tonal division led the French government to buy his first painting at the 1908 Salon des Indépendants (now in the Musée de Menton). In 1908 and 1909, he was invited to take part in the first two Salons of the Allied Artist's Association at London's Royal Albert Hall. From 1910 onwards, Joseph Lépine received numerous awards from the state and the major Parisian salons, as well as commissions from national museums. From 1920 onwards, Lépine frequented Maurice Denis, and his contrasts gave way to lighter colors and fine, almost pointillist brushstrokes. The First World War scattered the artist's connections, and Lépine pursued his career with only one friend, Paul Signac. His painting became more evanescent, bordering on abstraction. In 1939, Lépine was one of the permanent painters at the Salon des Tuileries, along with Georges d'Espagnat, Othon Friesz and other leading figures of the period. Yet he died in a state of indifference and destitution.

Our painting: This is a large, superb still life, probably painted during or just after the First World War. The large, almost square format is perfectly suited to this rich, powerful composition. If the powerful colors and shadows remind us of Cézanne, the touch could be that of a major work by Gustave Loiseau.
Many of Joseph Lépine's works remain at very low prices; admittedly, his small-scale rural landscapes are often repetitive and lack impact. Like another colorist of the period, Victor Charreton, Joseph Lépine left us a few masterpieces and many average paintings; as always, the collector must choose remarkable works which, for an artist like Lépine, are still affordable. It is worth noting, however, that large, beautifully composed works by Joseph Lépine fetched 22,000 euros in 2022 and the equivalent of 40,000 euros in 1989.