GUSTAVE LOISEAU | Glaçons sur l'Oise
Oil on Canvas
60 x 81 cms / 23½ x 32 inches
Signed and dated G Loiseau 1914 (lower left)
Gustave Loiseau’s Glaçons sur l’Oise (1914) captures a frozen River Oise beneath the iron bridge at Pontoise, painted during one of northern France’s coldest winters. Exhibited by Durand-Ruel, the work balances Post-Impressionist vitality with contemplative stillness. Loiseau’s delicate en treillis brushwork transforms icy greys and mauves into a luminous harmony, a poignant vision painted on the eve of the First World War.
Loiseau is one of the most foremost Post-Impressionist painters. He rebelled against the traditional practices of painting and joined the famous artists’ colony at Pont-Aven in Brittany in 1890. There he became companions with Henry Moret, Maxime Maufra and Paul Gauguin and under their influence, Loiseau embraced the use of bold colour and sought to expand and seek new aspects of the Impressionist style.
Like his Impressionist forebearers, Loiseau was a champion of painting the landscape en plein air. In his quest to create movement and light, Loiseau developed a distinct cross hatching technique which resulted in the supple and ephemeral quality for which his work is known.
Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir recognised Loiseau’s artistic talent and introduced him to the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who signed an exclusive contract with Loiseau in 1897. Loiseau’s work was exhibited widely during his lifetime and can be found in many notable museums and private collections.
