“The Bathers” circa 1920; an expressionist, dreamlike painting, an ode to freedom and femininity
Oil on canvas signed lower left
Dimensions: 65 x 54 cm,
with frame: 88,5 x 78 cm
Supervision of the Dury & Morel establishments - 23 rue Auguste Comte in Lyon
Bathers sketching synchronized dance steps outside the water. A deep blue climate that creates a deep and intense as well as mysterious atmosphere. Thunder could burst from this sky, the orange silhouettes of these ladies stand out against this dark background. They lounge, at ease, in and outside the water, offering a few movements with their arms, their bodies straight, remaining standing in the water. Clouds appear in the sky and echo the foam or whitish froth of the water in the foreground. A dreamlike dimension emerges from this painting whose composition is an ode to freedom and femininity. It is exclusively women who stand before us, which adds a touch to the sensual character of this painting.
Biography:
French painter and designer, active in Switzerland and France
In 1886, Adolphe Péterelle decided to become a painter: he took classes at the Geneva School of Fine Arts from 1887 to 1891. He went to Paris at the age of seventeen. In 1898, the animal painter Henri Deluermoz welcomed him into his studio. He then moved to the Bateau-Lavoir in 1900, where he frequented Steinlen, Aristide Bruant and Picasso. From 1900 to 1904, he worked on the decoration of pottery in Choisy-le-Roi, met Émile Lenoble, who provided drawings to the earthenware factory. They formed a forty-year friendship. Around 1809-1809, he settled permanently in Cité Falguière. With the sculptor Joseph Bernard, he studied the theme of dance at length.
He was a solitary artist, of a mystical temperament and did nothing to make his work known, even though his artistic output was considerable. He depicted people in their daily occupations, alluding to their inner thoughts and feelings (washers, a girl playing a tambourine, a musician, a cellist). He also liked to depict women (nudes, bathing women, dancers) and made a large number of drawings using various techniques – pencil, Indian ink, red chalk, gouache.
Péterelle participated in group exhibitions at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. He also held solo exhibitions in Paris: Galerie Bernheim (1930), Galerie Charpentier (1938) and Galerie de France (1942). In 1952, a major retrospective of his work (106 paintings and 74 drawings) was held at the Musée Galliera.
Bibliography
• “Peterelle, Adolphe”, Bénézit, Oxford Art Online, October 31, 2011
• Adolphe Péterelle (1874 –1947), Paris, Galliéra Museum (November 12-30, 1952), 1952
Museums
. In Paris: Centre Pompidou, museum of modern art of the city of Paris, regional fund of contemporary art of the city of Paris
In France: Museum of Fine Arts of Grenoble, National Center for Plastic Arts.
. Abroad: New York: MOMA.