Skippings Fine Arts has dated this piece to the 1900s.
The oil on panel has wonderful immediacy, and the artist's own notes on the back of the panel make it easy to understand why: it was painted from nature, on an August evening at 9pm, aboard the "Angelus" in the English Channel, as the boat headed towards Dieppe, in quiet waters. ("A bord de l'Angelus à 9 heures août 1904 par le calme ayant le cap sur Dieppe HFB")
Henri Ferdinand Bellan was born in Paris in 1870. He was initially taught painting by François Feyen-Perrin, then entered the Academy of Fine Arts where he studied with Léon Bonnat and Alfred Roll. Bellan first exhibited at the Salon of French Artists in 1888, then every year from 1896 to 1914.
The year 1902 marked the beginning of success and recognition for Henri Ferdinand Bellan. That year, he won the Raigecourt-Goyon Prize, which a travel scholarship that would allow him to study the Spanish and Italian masters.
In the same year, Ferdinand Bellan also received an honorable mention at the Salon of French Artists. The city of Paris bought his painting entitled “Angelus”, then “Prayer of an Evening” in 1903.
Bellan was awarded medals at the Salon 1903 and 1910 and participated to the Colonial Exhibition of Marseille in 1906, where he presented several landscapes.
Our painting measures 18.5 x 27 cm and is signed and dated at the lower right. It is monogrammed and inscribed to the verso. The work of art is presented in a wood carved period frame. The overall framed size is 29 x 37 cm.
Skippings Fine Arts has dated this piece to the 1900s.
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Sunset Over the English Channel, August 1904: Plein Air Colourist Impressionist Study of Sea and Light from a Boat, Marine Seascape Oil on Panel Painting
