Pierre Gaillardot (1910-2002) - Polo

Pierre Gaillardot (Saint-Florentin 1910 - Saint-Savin 2002)
Polo Match
Oil/Canvas 37 x 25
In Perfect Condition
Signed Lower Right and Framed

The Artist:

Pierre Gaillardot (1910-2002) was a French figurative painter, watercolorist, and engraver, associated with the New School of Paris. A self-taught artist with an expressionist style, he is particularly famous for his mastery of movement, animation, and speed.

His favored subjects center on the world of horse racing (notably in Deauville) and the wine milieu.

Recognized by his peers, he received the prestigious Puvis de Chavannes Prize in 1966, and several of his works are today kept at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

The Work:

This oil on canvas is characteristic of the artist's expressionist and nerve-filled execution.

Applied in dense layers with visible impasto, the material creates a textured relief that catches the light.

The palette is dominated by an acid green background, saturating in strong contrast with the browns of the horses and the primary splashes (blues, reds, yellows) of the polo players’ silks.

The drawing, deliberately fragmented and liberated from strict contour, uses oblique lines of force and dynamic brushstrokes to convey the immediacy of movement, speed, and the energy of the mêlée.