Monday, May 31, 2010

François-Emile Barraud (1899-1934)

"Les songes creux" Oil on canvas, 1933.
"Le Malcontent" Oil on canvas, 1930.

Amazing, but little known Swiss painter, François-Emile Barraud (1899-1934) worked in Paris in the 1920s, but died at age 35 of tuberculosis.
He reminds me of Antonio Donghi and Moise Kisling and the reclining nude I just blogged by Miklós Bánovszky...naturalistic realism of the early 1930s.
I discovered him here (see more images):
ART INCONNU
The Art of Amy Crehore

5 comments:

alteredslates said...

Found this post of interest; the paintings had me wondering of the real life of the model that posed on the davenport and if there was a reason for the broken stem of the white rose on the floor in the other painting...were the facial expressions the mood of the painter himself I wondered ?? Noticed these were created the last few years of this talented persons short life.

Amy Crehore said...

They are all quite melancholy paintings. The blog tells us that he was sick off and on for years and then died of turberculosis. The broken stem of white rose may be symbolic of a shortened life and marriage...maybe he knew he didn't have long. Perhaps painting was therapy for him and a way to live on. Yes, I think the expressions might definitely reflect his own mood.
He was amazingly talented. Powerful work for someone so young.

Amy Crehore said...

I think it may actually be a lily, not a rose.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this discovery of Barraud.
Banovzsky is influenced by Casorati

Amy Crehore said...

Interesting! I can see the Casorati influence. I love Casorati.