André Béronneau (1886-1973) - Weelderige chrysanten

This is an exceptionally atmospheric and powerful masterpiece by the French artist André Béronneau (1896-1973). The work is sold with the original monumental, antique wooden Baroque frame with a lived-in, rustic look.

This bouquet of lush chrysanthemums immediately draws the eye with its fabulous depth and tangible energy. Béronneau has masterfully used the impasto technique here. The oil paint is applied in rich, thick layers onto the canvas, causing the petals to emerge almost three-dimensionally from the background. In particular, the central white and pale yellow flowers catch the light in a wonderfully radiant way.

This painting transcends the traditional still life. Through the loose, dynamic brushwork there is a palpable vitality and drama in the bouquet. It is a beautiful "statement piece" that becomes an absolute focal point in both a classical and an eclectically modern interior.

Bottom right, the painting is authentically signed by the master himself.

- Artist: André Béronneau (1896-1973)
- Medium: Oil painting on canvas
- Title: Lush chrysanthemums
- Style: Post-impressionism
- Year: 1945
- Dimensions: 50 x 60 cm (without frame); 66 x 78 (with frame)
- Signed: bottom right + name plaque
- Sold with frame

Biography:

André Béronneau was a leading French Post-Impressionist painter who enjoyed great renown in the first half of the 20th century. He is chiefly known as a master in capturing the French landscape and maritime scenes.

André Béronneau was born in Bordeaux, France. He showed remarkable talent for painting from an early age, which led him to study at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

During World War I, Béronneau presumably remained at the front in Macedonia (part of the French troops around Thessaloniki), as evidenced by the rare watercolors he made there of local mosques and landscapes. After the war he settled definitively into the French art world.

Although he received an academic foundation at the Beaux-Arts, Béronneau developed a highly recognizable, looser style that was strongly influenced by Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. He drew inspiration from the great masters of light and texture. His technique is characterized by the use of a palette knife and the impasto technique, whereby paint was applied in thick, expressive layers to create relief.

Béronneau was a respected member of the Parisian art elite and exhibited for decades on major stages. He exhibited very regularly at the Salon des Indépendants between 1925 and 1935. In addition, he participated in leading annual Paris salons such as Salon d’Hiver and Salon des Artistes Français.

He was repeatedly officially recognized with prestigious prizes, including the Médaille d'Argent (Silver Medal) at the Salon d'Hiver and the Prix Fargeon, awarded by the jury of the Salon des Artistes Français.