Jean Seignemartin (1848- 1875) - Light in an Underwood

Oil on panel. 38 x46 cm. Signed lower right.

In this landscape featuring a wooded path, he applies the material in successive layers to achieve transparent effects. His light, fine brushstrokes produce a multitude of color variations, enhanced by the play of light and shadow.  The intensity of light is concentrated on the sky and the end of the path, while the foliage is left in shadow.  This gives the impression of a painting sketched and captured on the spot. The brushstroke and format also suggest a practice on the motif.

A student of Joseph Guichard at the Lyon School of Fine Arts, Jean Seignemartin was a great admirer of Eugène Delacroix. His work reveals a pronounced taste for the exaltation of color. Born to weavers, he also developed a preference for warm tones through contact with silk. It was as a colorist that he made his mark on the Lyon painting scene. In 1874, on the advice of his patron Dr. Tripier, he went to Algeria to treat his tuberculosis. Among other things, he discovered the luminous intensity of white. He died very young, aged 27.

His works are held in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.