Louis-Claude PAVIOT (1872 - 1943) The Walnut Harvest (Revel, Dauphiné)

Louis-Claude PAVIOT (1872 - 1943)
Chestnut gatherers
oil on canvas

Louis-Claude Paviot's work depicts a soothing rural scene, in which two human figures blend harmoniously into a lush natural setting.

Under tall trees with dense, irregular foliage, a man appears to be busy picking chestnuts, while a second figure stands nearby, ready to help.

Chestnut picking evokes the autumnal season, a time of transition when nature generously offers its fruits before the winter rest. The foreground is occupied by an expanse of lush green grass, creating a solid base for the composition. The main backdrop is dominated by two tall trees, whose branches spread wide, creating a shady canvas enlivened by touches of light filtering through the leaves. The background offers a soft contrast with the bluish tones of the hills, bringing depth and perspective to the scene.

The brushstrokes are vibrant and visible, giving the painting a dynamic texture. The leaves of the trees, in particular, are rendered with quick, bursting strokes that capture their light movement in the wind.
A native of Lhuis, in the Ain region, Paviot first studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, before boarding at the Académie Julian in 1895, where he was a pupil of J.P Laurens and Doucet.
He seems to have made a career in Paris, exhibiting with Berthe Weill from 1905 to 1924 at least, more than in Lyon. He exhibited as early as 1896 at the Salon des Indépendants, and also at the Salon de la Société lyonnaise des Beaux-Arts from 1895 to 1901.

At the turn of the century, critics ranked him among the leading artists. In his review of that year's Salon des Indépendants in Le journal, G. Geffroy placed Paviot among the heirs of Monet and Cézanne, in the company of Bonnard, Vuillard, A. André, Camoin and Valtat. In the Cahiers d'Art et de Littérature of May 1905, J. Holl's review of the Salon des Indépendants refers to him as “a colorful realist”.
In 1907, he took part in the adventure of the Lyon Salon d'Automne with Eugène Brouillard and Jacques Martin until 1918.