Landing of citrus fruits - Frédéric MONTENARD (1849-1926)

Montenard painted this subject several times, in different formats and sizes, with variations on the figures.
This subject is painted with a rather sketchy touch.
The picture was painted between 1880 and 1890.

Our painting is the largest of the versions.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact location, but it is probably Marseille or Toulon, ports that he very often depicted from similar angles.

The number of canvases dedicated to this subject, and their size, might suggest preparatory work for private mansions or pavilions for world exhibitions.

Frédéric MONTENARD 1849-1926

A French painter nicknamed in his day "the great painter of Provence", his work is an illuminating hymn to the glory of the Midi. He is a true master of the school".
He began his studies at the Beaux-arts de Paris in the studio of Puvis de Chavannes. "He inherited from him the supple, enveloped style that gives his canvases such softness.

In 1873, he founded a fine arts studio in Toulon.

Very quickly, his talent was recognised by the critics and the State, which bought paintings from him. Several medals followed, including a gold medal at the 1889 exhibition.
In 1921, he was appointed official painter to the French Navy.
His work consists of numerous Provençal landscapes and large-scale paintings for state and private buildings.

His works are colourful and luminous, borrowing codes and framings from photography, making them very modern.

As good a colourist as he was a draughtsman, Montenard was adept at "giving the waves a stormy movement, translating in his canvases the vastness of the sky, the majesty of the coasts, the splendour of the sails, or bringing a poetic touch to his depictions of the workers of the sea".