Victor Charreton (1864-1937) - Perched village in Provence, evening sun

Oil on canvas, Signed lower left
Dimensions: H. 60 cm x W. 73 cm
with frame: H. 84 x W. 97 cm

Victor Charreton was born in Isère in 1864. After studying law in Grenoble, he decided in 1902 to devote himself to his passion, painting. He moved to Paris, and from then until 1913 traveled extensively to capture the light of very different landscapes, from Algeria to Holland, via Spain, England and Belgium. Married to Marie Elmy Chatin, a native of La Sauvetat, Victor Charreton remained very attached to the Auvergne region.

Charreton was an immense artist, a self-taught modernist. His art is unique, unclassifiable. He developed his own techniques and supports. In his landscapes, color dominates the drawing, which is quickly sketched in pencil on cardboard or bare canvas. He paints on the spot, without preparation, and practices "en réserves" painting, which allows the support to reveal the color he uses. The material, usually oil paint, is applied directly with a knife or brush, and his chromatic juxtapositions are bold.
The power of Charreton's work is comparable to the Fauvist works produced by Matisse or Derain at the time Victor Charreton moved to Paris. During his lifetime, the artist exhibited and sold extensively in the United States. It's also interesting to note that Victor Charreton's talent was immediately recognized by the French state, as the Louvre bought a work from him during his lifetime, now housed at the Musée d'Orsay. The Auvergne, Brittany and Provence were subjects that remained dear to him throughout his life.

This work perfectly illustrates Victor Charreton's astonishing sense of color. The artist laid the pictorial material directly onto the raw canvas. The magnification of the photographs shows that Charreton worked without any preparatory drawings, juxtaposing the pure colors, kneading them on the canvas, and reworking them in the manner of a sculptor until he achieved the desired result. The landscape in this painting is remarkably rendered, while up close, Charreton's touch seems to be abstract. The composition pulls the subject towards symbolism, with criss-crossing lines rising towards the sky and the light. This is a brilliant work. Charreton's aesthetic is close to perfection, with numerous unpainted areas, known as reserves, where the color of the canvas is a common thread in this chromatic explosion. The warm evening light perfectly describes a beautiful summer evening in Provence.

Among the museums in which Charreton's works can be found:
Musée d'Orsay and Petit Palais in Paris, New York, Madrid, Lyon, Cleveland.......