André MAIRE (1898-1984) - Nude with apple

André MAIRE 1898-1984

Painter of figures, animals, landscapes, architecture,
interiors, gouache painter, watercolourist, draughtsman, decorator.
He was a pupil of the painter André Devambez at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1917.

He was called up for military service in Indochina and taught drawing at the French lycée in Saigon. He made numerous sketches of the Angkor site, which were invaluable when the temple was reconstructed for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition.

He spent two years in Italy, where he painted many views of Venice.
Between 1938 and 1945, he travelled through Egypt, India, Ceylon and Africa. From 1948 to 1955, he taught drawing and modelling at the Saigon School of Architecture.

Gifted with a keen sense of decoration, he mainly produced quick sketches, gouaches and sepias, brought back from his travels.

Well-known for his works of the Orient and the comfortable, he offers us here an unusual work with multiple inspirations, both modern and antique. The curtain, the red background and the palette take us back to the Renaissance, the apple takes us back to Christianity, and the woman's gentle eyes are slightly Asian... A beautiful painting full of mystery