Adolphe-Louis CAXTEX-DEGRANGE (1840 - 1918) - Basket of flowers

Adolphe-Louis CAXTEX-DEGRANGE (Marseille, 1840 - 1918) - Basket of flowers

Adolphe Louis Castex-Dégrange, anxious at the idea of embracing a military career, finally chose to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon in 1853, where he studied with Vibert, Reignier and later Louis Guy. Initially enrolled in the engraving section, he opted for floral drawing in order to become a textile designer. Castex-Dégrange exhibited at the Lyon Salon, then at the Paris Salon from 1870. He moved to Paris in 1876 where he worked as a decorative artist and, for three years, as a ceramist. He returned to Lyon in 1884 to succeed Reignier as professor of drawing and floral textile composition. His pupils were the Ziniars, a group of independent artists who lasted from 1920 to 1925 (Adrien Bas, Georges Bouche, Emile Didier, etc.).

In addition to his floral compositions, Castex-Dégrange painted genre compositions, notably for Lyon's city hall and the Rhône prefecture. He also realized landscapes and caricatures. He brought a new decorative style, a vigorous touch and rich, bright colors that were perfectly suited to the silk industry, then in its heyday.