Henri Le Sidaner
Henri Le Sidaner, who was a contemporary of the Post-Impressionists, was an intimist painter known for his paintings of domestic interiors and quiet street scenes. His style contained elements of Impressionism with the influences of Édouard Manet, Monet, and of the Pointillists discernible in his work. In today's painting, Le Sidaner fulfilled his dream of creating an ideal setting in which to translate fleeting atmospheric moments onto canvas.
In La Gloriette, Gerberoy, Le Sidaner creates an atmosphere of meditative contemplation with his adroit handling of light and color. The table is set carefully with deliberately placed objects. The absence of figures allows one’s imagination to awaken and to be fully present in the fleeting dusk. The spectrum of orange, yellow, and pink hues cast by the spherical lanterns draws the viewer into the intimacy of the scene, which is at once filled with a sense of mystery and tranquility. Le Sidaner was well-aware that he would not have time to depict the interplay of light and their changing reflections, especially during dusk. Instead, he focused on fully immersing himself in the moment to recreate it more perfectly once it had passed. As the artist’s son, Rémy Le Sidaner, recalls, “When my father caught one of these "special effects," he nodded in my direction and stood there, gazing out towards the horizon, impressing on his mind the scene he had just witnessed.”
P.S. Have a calm weekend everyone! Here are 10 art masterpieces to calm your anxiety. Take care! <3