Artists

Henri Le Sidaner

French, 1862–1939

Henri Le Sidaner was born in Mauritius and moved to Paris at the age of 18, becoming a pupil of Cabanel at the Ēcole des Beaux-Arts in 1884. The artist exhibited in Paris for the first time in 1887 at the Salon des Artistes Français. He also exhibited in Paris at the salon de la Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts and in 1930 was appointed a member of the Institut at the Academie des Beaux-Arts.

In 1900 he visited the tiny village of Gerberoy (Seine-et-Oise) where he later bought the house which became the inspiration for many of his paintings and where he painted many of his beautiful still lifes. He described the town as a “haven of peace” and also described it as being “seeped in history and gentle nostalgia.” This is probably due to its crucial location both during the battles between the Normans and the English in the 11th Century, and the Hundred Years’ War in the 14th and 15^th.

He worked in the realist style, but his love of penumbra and twilight create a poetic and dreamy quality to his technical expertise. There is also undoubtedly an influence of optics on Le Sidaner’s work. The atmosphere of his paintings, whether they are landscapes or still lifes result from both his delicate style of painting and his choice of subjects.