Léon Giran-Max (1867-1927) - Summer evening in Oise

Oil on canvas, signed below
Dimensions: H. 65.5 cm x W. 82 cm

Born in 1867, Léon Giran-Max was a French Impressionist and later Neo-Impressionist painter. No information can be found about his studies, and it seems that this artist was purely self-taught. It is rare for an untrained painter, without the support of the network of his school, teachers and fellow students, to achieve posterity. Vincent Van Gogh is an exception. With the exception of 4 paintings that sold for over 10,000 euros at auction (54,000 euros at Aguttes in Paris in 2005), the average price of Giran-Max's works is still incredibly affordable given the quality of his output.

In his early years, Giran-Max's painting, constructed with a vigorous touch, is nonetheless imbued with great sensitivity. His palette is made up of shimmering colors, but often nuanced and in cameos. For a self-taught artist, his compositions are extremely classical, guiding our eye through magnificent, peaceful landscapes. It was around Paris that Giran Max captured the light of his first landscapes, particularly around Auvers-sur-Oise. The artist he most closely resembled at this time was Claude Monet.

Le Barc de Bouteville was the avant-garde gallery of late 19th-century Paris: the greatest Impressionists, Symbolists, Nabis and Post-Impressionists exhibited there: Edouard Manet, Maurice Denis, Émile Bernard, Heny Moret, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Signac, Van Gogh, Luce, Pissarro, Sérusier, etc. Like the latter, Léon Giran-Max was spotted by Le Barc de Bouteville, which devoted a solo show to him in 1898. He also exhibited at La Nationale and the Salon des Indépendants, which paid tribute to him in 1928 after his death.
From 1900 onwards, Giran Max's impressionist technique changed: flat tints gradually replaced the virgule touch, and subjects from the South of France became more frequent. Giran-Max also worked in advertising, and we owe him the famous poster for Cycles Petipas, whose mastery and modernity of design demonstrate the many talents of this still little-known painter.

OUR PAINTING: This is a beautiful late summer day, with a bold two-part composition. The brushstrokes are vigorous and virgulated, on a canvas whose rusticity is in keeping with the depiction of the rural building. For the trees and the building, the technique consists in superimposing touches of close colors, with infinite shades of green and ochre. The sky reveals the light background to give a diffused light, while the building is treated with a much denser paste that seems to catch the last rays of the sun. This is a painting from Giran-Max's Impressionist period, circa 1890. It is in perfect condition and on its original canvas.