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In the Spotlight : Henry Moret (1856-1913) & Maxime Maufra (1861-1918)

Past viewing_room
9 February - 19 March 2021
  • HENRY MORET & MAXIME MAUFRA

    IN THE SPOTLIGHT

     

  • STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE GALLERY IS PLEASED TO CONTINUE ITS ARTIST-CENTRIC VIEWINGS ROOMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT SERIES WHERE WE DELVE DEEPLY INTO ONE ARTIST'S PRACTICE.

    AIMING TO SHOW A FULLER PICTURE OF AN ARTIST'S CAREER, THESE VIEWING ROOMS FEATURE ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHY, ARTWORKS IMAGES, QUOTES, AND TEXT REFERENCES COVERING ONE ARTIST'S CAREER.

                                                                                                                                                               

    TODAY, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO PRESENT AN ONLINE VIEWING ROOM DEDICATED TO THE PRACTICE OF TWO ARTISTS, HENRY MORET, AND MAXIME MAUFRA, WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE PONT-AVEN SCHOOL, AND WERE BOTH INSPIRED BY THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF THE BRITTANY REGION.

  • PONT-AVEN SCHOOL

  • At the fin de siècle, the small town of Pont-Aven in the south of Brittany attracted numerous artists from Paris who were intrigued by the beauty of the land and the rural life of the Breton peasants. Of the group, which included Emile Bernard, Paul Sérusier, Charles Filligier, Henry Moret, and Maxime Maufra, Paul Gauguin, emerged as the conceptual leader, advocating an abstract style known as Synthetism. Though perhaps best known for their paintings, the artists at Pont-Aven also actively experimented with printmaking, creating woodcuts, and etching that used the 'primitive' way of life in Brittany as a point of departure for artistic exploration.
  • Henry Moret

     

  • Henry Moret (1856-1913)

    Henry Moret (1856-1913)

    Henry Moret was born in Cherbourg, France in 1856. Norman of origin, Henry Moret becomes Lorientais of adoption. He studied in the studios of Jean Léon Gérôme and J. P. Laurens at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris between 1876 and 1880.

     

    In 1881 Moret travelled to Finistere, in Brittany. Drawn to the vibrant international community of a new artists' colony in Pont-Aven, the artist would develop a life-long fascination with the area. Moret was particularly interested in depicting the everyday lives of the local villagers and fishermen. By 1896 he moved to the area permanently, settling in the port of Doëlan. He was to spend the rest of his life in the region and painted a significant number of landscapes depicting the craggy edges of the coastline and the quotidian bustle of local life in the seaside villages.

     

     

  • The Path of Nature

    • Henry Moret (1856 - 1913) Les oies au bord de l'Aven 1893 Oil on canvas 72.7 x 59.3 cm ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

      Henry Moret (1856 - 1913)

      Les oies au bord de l'Aven

      1893

      Oil on canvas

      72.7 x 59.3 cm

       

      ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

       

    • Henry Moret (1856 - 1913) La chaumière et la rivière blanche c.1896-1897 Oil on canvas 73 x 59 cm ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

      Henry Moret (1856 - 1913)

      La chaumière et la rivière blanche

      c.1896-1897

      Oil on canvas

      73 x 59 cm

       

      ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

       

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  •  

    INITIALLY INFLUENCED BY PAUL GAUGUIN - WHO HE MET IN 1888 - MORET WENT ON TO DEVELOP A SINGULAR STYLE; DISTINCTIVELY COMBINING RHYTHMIC STROKES OF NATURALISTIC COLOUR EVOCATIVE OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS WITH THE DYNAMIC SPATIAL COMPOSITION FAVOURED BY THE SYNTHETIC STYLE.

     

  • Henry Moret, La Rivière de Belon, 1896
    Artworks

    Henry Moret

    La Rivière de Belon, 1896
    Oil on canvas
    60.5 x 74 cm
    23 13/16 x 29 1/8 inches
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EHenry%20Moret%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ELa%20Rivi%C3%A8re%20de%20Belon%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1896%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E60.5%20x%2074%20cm%3Cbr/%3E%0A23%2013/16%20x%2029%201/8%20inches%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20lower%20left%20Henry%20Moret%2096%3C/div%3E
  • Henry Moret, La Rivière de Belon, 1896
    Artworks

    Henry Moret

    La Rivière de Belon, 1896

    Moret frequently depicted the Bélon river, which carves a southward path through the Finistère region of Brittany’s countryside eventually merging with the Atlantic Ocean in a beautiful and unspoiled manner. The wild, timeless sense of nature enraptured Moret, creating a poignant contrast with newly industrialized areas of the French landscape.

     

    In La rivière de Bélon, Moret depicts the daily flurry of activity around the mouth of the river as local fishing boats return from Atlantic fishing excursions. Brief, fleeting brushstrokes denote the outlines of two boats returning to land. Long, vertical strokes in shimmering cerulean and emerald tones engulf the rust-red figures of the boats; the rapid, regular movement of the artist’s hand conveying the insurmountable vitality of the Atlantic.

  • An instantaneous vision of landscapes

    • Henry Moret (1856-1913) Brume d'été à Porspoder, Finistère 1899 Oil on canvas 54.7 x 73.5 cm Signed and dated lower left Henry Moret 99 ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

      Henry Moret (1856-1913)

      Brume d'été à Porspoder, Finistère 

      1899

      Oil on canvas

      54.7 x 73.5 cm

      Signed and dated lower left Henry Moret 99

       

      ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

       

    • Henry Moret (1856-1913) Jour d’été sur la côte à Doëlan c.1905 Oil on canvas 54.5 x 46 cm Signed lower right ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

      Henry Moret (1856-1913)

      Jour d’été sur la côte à Doëlan 

      c.1905

      Oil on canvas

      54.5 x 46 cm 

      Signed lower right

       

      ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

    Close
  • As time went by, Moret developed a more impressionistic style, furthering a more naturalistic approach to landscapes.

    FASCINATED BY THE SEA, MORET USED DEEP COLORS AND VIGOROUS BRUSHSTROKES TO CAPTURE ITS VIOLENCE AND POWER, MATCHED AGAINST THE UNYIELDING FORCE OF GRANITE OUTCROPS.

  • Henry Moret, Port en Bretagne, 1910
    Artworks

    Henry Moret

    Port en Bretagne, 1910
    Oil on canvas
    33.1 x 40.5 cm
    13 x 15 15/16 inches
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EHenry%20Moret%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EPort%20en%20Bretagne%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1910%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E33.1%20x%2040.5%20cm%3Cbr/%3E%0A13%20x%2015%2015/16%20inches%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20and%20dated%20lower%20left%20Henry%20Moret%201910%3C/div%3E
  • Maxime Maufra

  • Maxime Maufra
    Artists

    Maxime Maufra

    1861 - 1918

    Maxime Maufra, born 1861 in Nantes, Western France, began painting at the age of 18 encouraged by the Leduc brothers and Charles Leroux, artists who were residing in his hometown at the time. Maufra’s parents were reluctant to allow him pursue a career as an artist, and so he spent his youth working for the family business, painting in his spare time from 1884 to 1890. 

     

    In 1883, Maufra was sent to London by his father to receive specialist training in business. Maufra took the opportunity to visit the National Gallery, where he discovered the works of J.M.W Turner. The experience proved revelatory for Maufra, who was inspired by Turner’s use of dramatic light and expressive colour would later influence Maufra’s artistic approach.

     

    On his return to France, he discovered the work of the Impressionists and exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1886. By 1890, Maufra, now a full-time painter, left Nantes for Pont-Aven in Brittany, where he met Paul Gauguin and Paul Sérusier, a formative experience that would have a definitive impact on his style.

  • Between Reality and Emotion

    As a member of the Pont-Aven School, Maufra embraced sensitive depiction, characterised by the use of flat forms denoted by energetic outlines. Maufra often focused on marine subjects such as the coastal landscape, ships and ports. Contrary to many artists working at the time Maufra did not use pure colour or symbolic forms, but remained attached to the use of short, delicate brushstrokes inherited from Impressionism. Maufra was preoccupied with attaining both reality and intensity in composition, continually oscillating between a realistic and a symbolic approach to landscapes painting. This dichotomy is illustrated in his masterpiece Vue du Port de Pont-Aven, executed in 1893.

    • Maxime Maufra (1861-1918) Les Trois Falaises ; Saint-Jean-du-Doigt, Oil on canvas 60,4 x 72,5 cm © Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper

      Maxime Maufra (1861-1918) 

      Les Trois Falaises ; Saint-Jean-du-Doigt,

      Oil on canvas

      60,4 x 72,5 cm

      © Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper

    • Maxime Maufra (1861-1918) Pont-Aven, ciel rouge Oil on canvas 1892 29.6 x 44.5 cm © Musée des beaux-arts de Brest

      Maxime Maufra (1861-1918)

      Pont-Aven, ciel rouge

      Oil on canvas

      1892

      29.6 x 44.5 cm

      © Musée des beaux-arts de Brest

       

    • Maxime Maufra (1861 – 1918) La Porte d’Aval, falaise d’Etretat, 1895 Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

      Maxime Maufra (1861 – 1918)

      La Porte d’Aval, falaise d’Etretat, 

      1895

      Oil on canvas

      60 x 73 cm

       

      ARCHIVES STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE

    Close
  • An expressionist landscape artist

    Maufra had his first solo exhibition in Paris in 1894, at Le Barc de Boutteville, for which Gauguin designed the poster. He subsequently exhibited with Durand-Ruel, who remained his dealer throughout his career.

    On his return to Paris in 1893, he was the first painter to take up residence in the well-known Bateau-Lavoir in Paris, where later Cubist artists including Pablo Picasso would take up residence.

    While Maufra retained the influence of Synthetic techniques - particularly an interest in depicting volume through balancing of line and colour - from 1894 onwards, the artist along with Henry Moret, would share a preference for light and clarity, embarking on a more naturalistic approach to landscape, eventually paving the way for more expressionist compositions.

     

     

    • Maxime Maufra in Saint-Pierre de Quiberon in the late 1890s

      Maxime Maufra in Saint-Pierre de Quiberon in the late 1890s

    • Bateau-Lavoir in the late 1890s, Archive Photography

      Bateau-Lavoir in the late 1890s, Archive Photography

  • Maxime Maufra, Les bords de l’Elorn, Plougastel-Daoulas, 1897
    Artworks

    Maxime Maufra

    Les bords de l’Elorn, Plougastel-Daoulas, 1897
    Oil on canvas
    60 x 73 cm
    23 5/8 x 28 ¾ inches
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMaxime%20Maufra%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ELes%20bords%20de%20l%E2%80%99Elorn%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3EPlougastel-Daoulas%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1897%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E60%20x%2073%20cm%3Cbr/%3E%0A23%205/8%20x%2028%20%C2%BE%20inches%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20and%20dated%20lower%20right%20Maufra%2097%3C/div%3E
  • This sea, sometimes furious, rushing in enormous waves, and giving the appearance of a snowstorm, sometimes calm and soft, united like a sheet of oil, represented to me the rustle of this world, and especially the life of this century which could be called the century of contrasts. Art, in short, the divine source of all earthly delight and ecstasy (Maxime Maufra)

  • Maxime Maufra, Calme d’été, baie de Douarnenez, 1899
    Artworks

    Maxime Maufra

    Calme d’été, baie de Douarnenez, 1899
    Oil on canvas
    60.3 x 73 cm
    23 5/8 x 28 3/4 inches
    Inquire
    %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3EMaxime%20Maufra%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3ECalme%20d%E2%80%99%C3%A9t%C3%A9%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Ebaie%20de%20Douarnenez%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1899%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E60.3%20x%2073%20cm%3Cbr/%3E%0A23%205/8%20x%2028%203/4%20inches%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20and%20dated%20lower%20right%3C/div%3E
  • Paul-Durand Ruel

  • A long correspondence

    From the beginning of the early 1890s, Maxime Maufra encouraged Moret to exhibit his paintings in Paris. Both artists exhibited their works together in an exhibition organized by the Barc de Boutterville. Paul Durand-Ruel first saw Maufra and Moret’s pictures in the exhibition organized by the Barc de Boutteville in his gallery, rue le Peletier, in January 1894.
     
    Maufra praised by Renoir, and Puvis de Chavanne started a long collaboration with Durand-Ruel which lasted for nearly twenty-four years. The famous gallerist acquired more than 900 works by Maufra and organized numerous exhibitions in his gallery in New York and Paris and helped expand its exposure internationally.
    The correspondence between Maufra et Durand-Ruel-- saved in the Durand-Ruel archives-- represents an essential resource for understanding his technique and artistic practice. These letters also help to follow Maufra’s different trips in France, Brittany, and Normandy and Scotland where the artist returned in 1895. 

    The exchanges between the Durand-Ruel and Henry Moret started in October 1895 until the end of 1912. These letters helped to locate the artist during his different trips. By the time of their collaboration, the members of the group of Pont-Aven scattered, and only Moret and a few such as Maufra, Seguin and O’Conor remained closely attached to the region.
    From 1896 to 1898, the artist’s slowly evolved towards a more impressionist approach, possibly under the influence of Durand-Ruel.
    Moret had thirteen solo exhibitions with Durand-Ruel, and his collaboration with the gallerist helped expand his exposure in France, Europe, and the United States.

     

     

  • Artworks available

    • Henry Moret La Rivière de Belon, 1896 Signed lower left Henry Moret 96 Oil on canvas 60.5 x 74 cm 23 13/16 x 29 1/8 inches
      Henry Moret
      La Rivière de Belon, 1896
      Signed lower left Henry Moret 96
      Oil on canvas
      60.5 x 74 cm
      23 13/16 x 29 1/8 inches
      View more details
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EHenry%20Moret%3C/strong%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title%22%3E%3Cem%3ELa%20Rivi%26%23232%3Bre%20de%20Belon%3C/em%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E1896%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20lower%20left%20Henry%20Moret%2096%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E60.5%20x%2074%20cm%3Cbr%3E23%2013/16%20x%2029%201/8%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Henry Moret Port en Bretagne, 1910 Signed and dated lower left Henry Moret 1910 Oil on canvas 33.1 x 40.5 cm 13 x 15 15/16 inches
      Henry Moret
      Port en Bretagne, 1910
      Signed and dated lower left Henry Moret 1910
      Oil on canvas
      33.1 x 40.5 cm
      13 x 15 15/16 inches
      View more details
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EHenry%20Moret%3C/strong%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title%22%3E%3Cem%3EPort%20en%20Bretagne%3C/em%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E1910%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20and%20dated%20lower%20left%20Henry%20Moret%201910%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E33.1%20x%2040.5%20cm%3Cbr%3E13%20x%2015%2015/16%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Maxime Maufra Les bords de l’Elorn, Plougastel-Daoulas, 1897 Signed and dated lower right Maufra 97 Oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm 23 5/8 x 28 ¾ inches
      Maxime Maufra
      Les bords de l’Elorn, Plougastel-Daoulas, 1897
      Signed and dated lower right Maufra 97
      Oil on canvas
      60 x 73 cm
      23 5/8 x 28 ¾ inches
      View more details
      Inquire
      %3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22artist%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EMaxime%20Maufra%3C/strong%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title%22%3E%3Cem%3ELes%20bords%20de%20l%26%238217%3BElorn%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3EPlougastel-Daoulas%3C/em%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E1897%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22signed_and_dated%22%3ESigned%20and%20dated%20lower%20right%20Maufra%2097%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E60%20x%2073%20cm%3Cbr%3E23%205/8%20x%2028%20%26%23190%3B%20inches%3C/div%3E
    • Maxime Maufra Calme d’été, baie de Douarnenez, 1899 Signed and dated lower right Oil on canvas 60.3 x 73 cm 23 5/8 x 28 3/4 inches
      Maxime Maufra
      Calme d’été, baie de Douarnenez, 1899
      Signed and dated lower right
      Oil on canvas
      60.3 x 73 cm
      23 5/8 x 28 3/4 inches
      View more details
      Inquire
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  • ABOUT THESE ARTISTS

    • Henry Moret
      Artists

      Henry Moret

      1856 - 1913
    • Maxime Maufra
      Artists

      Maxime Maufra

      1861 - 1918
  • FURTHER READING

    Henry Moret 

    Jean-Yves Rolland & Marie-Bénedicte Baranger

    2002

     

    Gauguin et l'école de Pont-Aven

    André Cariou

    2015

     

    Maxime Maufra

    Les années de Pont-Aven et du Pouldu

    André Cariou

    1996

     

     

     

Stoppenbach & Delestre.

17 Ryder Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6PY

Tel: 44 (0) 207 930 9304
Email: contact@artfrancais.com

 

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