(Solesmes, 1847 - 1907, Fontainebleau)

Landscape with waterfall

Oil on board

35 1/2" x 28"

46" x 39" framed

LL: Leon Richet

          Richet, an artist of the Belgian school, painted almost exclusively landscapes, and sometimes flower pictures.  He was a student of many celebrated artists, including Diaz, Lefebvre and Boulanger.  His schooling prepared him for a career full of exhibitions and awards.

          In 1869, Richet made his debut at the Paris Salon with two canvases: Bouleaux sure les hauteurs de la Plaine blanche, foret de Fontainebleau and Mare dans la gorge aux loups.  In 1885, he was awarded an honorable mention prize, and won second place titles in both 1888 and 1901.

          Painting in Normandy, Picardie and the Bourbonais, and a follower of the great masters of the Barbizon school, Richet was acclaimed for his skill in showing the effects of light from the sky on bodies of water.  He paid very careful attention to clouds and how they changed the appearance of water.  As a result of his mastery of the technique, his paintings have become very highly collectible in both the public and private sectors.

Recorded:

Benezit, Emmanuel.  Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs.  (Paris: Librairie Grund,  1976).

Hardouin-Fugier, Elisabeth  and Etienne Grafe.  French Flower Painters of the 19th Century: A Dictionary.  (London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd.,  1989).

Schurr, Gerald  and Pierre Cabanne.  Dictionnaire des Petits Maitres de la Peinture 1820 1920. ( Paris:  Les Editions de LAmateur,  1996).

Thieme, Ulrich  and Felix Becker.  Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Kunstler.  (Leipzig:  Veb E. A. Seemann Verlag).

Collections:

Leeds: Foret de Fontainebleau ;   Montreal: Vieux chenes, foret de Fontainebleau ;   Nice: Paysage ;   Reims: Paysage avec marais ;   Albany, NY ;   Antwerp ;   Reichenberg ;   Wiesbaden ;   Baden