Henri Lebasque

The present work was painted in 1907, the year of Lebasque’s first single-artist exhibition at the famous Galerie Georges Petit, in Paris.  Partie de pêche records a family outing in the forest of Pierrefonds, near Compiègne, north of the capital.  Here the artist depicts a group of young ladies, who most certainly are his wife and their two daughters Marthe and Nono, enjoying a sunny and playful summer day while fishing.

Probably painted en plein air, the present work is a delightful souvenir of happy family times.   As Lisa Banner explained, “Intimism, a term which best describes Lebasque’s painting, refers to the close domestic subject matter in such a manner as to convey the personal nature of his response to the thing painted, and the universal familiarity of home and family.   There is a sense of calm infused in Lebasque’s paintings which celebrate the fullness and richness of life.  In his placid scenes of gardens and beaches, terraces and dinner tables, Lebasque portrays his family in particular, but in such a way that he appeals to a larger sense of family gathering and devotion” (Lisa Banner, Lebasque, San Francisco, 1986, p.12).

Partie de pêche is a beautiful example of Henri Lebasque’s painting, capturing the spontaneity of a sun-filled moment through fresh and striking colors coupled with a striking composition and charming subject.