Léon Germain Pelouse
Léon Germain Pelouse (1 October 1838 – 31 July 1891) was a self-taught French painter born in Pierrelaye (Val-d'oise, France).[1] At sixteen, he began working as traveling salesman. He began painting when he was twenty, as he was serving in the French army as a conscript.[2] His professional painting career began at twenty-seven, with the exhibition of his Les Environs de Précy (Near Précy) at the Salon de Paris of 1865.[3] Despite severe criticism, he continued painting. He moved to Brittany, and there, inspired by nature around Pont-Aven and Rochefort-en-Terre, Pelouse painted landscapes which were exhibited at the Salon de Paris in the following years. He received his first medal in 1873 for Vallée de Cernay (Cernay Valley).[4] He finally gained success and critical approval. The French government bought many of his works which are now in the holdings of museums including the Musée d'Orsay,[5] the Musée Malraux, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes.[6]
References
- Champlin, "Pelouse, Léon Germain"
- Grand Palais, p.148.
- Fresneau, p. 99.
- Jules Claretie, Peintres et sculpteurs contemporains, Paris, Charpentier, 1874, p. xi.
- Musée d'Orsay, Aux couleurs de la mer : Paris, Musée d'Orsay, 6 novembre 1999-16 janvier 2000. , Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 1999, p. 65.
- "Pelouse Léon Germain", Portail des collections des musées de France, Paris, Joconde, 2013
Further reading
- Champlin, John Denison, Cyclopedia of painters and paintings, New York, Scribner, 1892.
- Fresneau, Estelle, Pont-Aven : du paysage à l'œuvre. ,Pont-Aven, Musée de Pont-Aven, 2007.
- Grand Palais, Le Musee du Luxembourg en 1874. Peintures., Paris, Grand Palais, 1974.