The Old Farmhouse Antique French Early 20th Century Oil with Van Gogh Like Impasto by Georges Bouche (1874-1941)

The very thing which makes this painting so special - its gorgeous, rich, thick impasto - also makes it very hard to photograph. There is a hint of Van Gogh in it, not only in its textures but also in the complexity of of the colours - yet also shows strong individuality.

Incredibly modern for its time, it is a work by Georges Pierre Hippolyte Bouche (1874-1941)

Bouche started painting small canvases at the age of 14, enthusiastically professing his admiration for the Lyons painter Louis Carrand, whom he met while Carrand was living in extreme poverty. Bouche briefly studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyons, then left for Paris at the age of 20, where he met Pierre Laprade. The two artists shared a studio until Laprade was discovered by Ambroise Vollard.

From that moment, Bouche, reclusive by nature, worked alone, although he did marry fellow artist Emily Charmy - a woman of great talent, even greater ambition but little kindness, from what I have been able to gather.

Georges reacted against the agreeableness of the post impressionists and even the Fauves. According to him "too much colour may kill the light". One of the innovative aspects of his art is the manner in which he infuses impasto with transparency.

From 1902, Georges Bouche exhibited in Paris at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants. His works was also shown in the exhibition

« Maîtres indépendants 1895-1937 » at the Petit Palais. Today, numerous of his works are in the Centre Georges Pompidou/Musée Nationale de l'Art Moderne in Paris, and in the Museum of Modern Art in Troyes.

For reference, I have attached a photo of the painting belonging to Pompidou Centre. You will recognise the artist's style, and see the the similarity to the work on offer here.

An oil on panel, our painting measures 32 x 41 cm and is monogrammed at the lower left. On the verso are numerous labels from a Paris Gallery (presumably Billiet on rue la Boetie) near the Champs Elysees and international fine art shippers in London and France as a testimony to the artworks illustrious past. The overall framed size in a more recent frame is 47 x 56 cm

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