Oil on Canvas of Nautical Pleasures by Paul Emile Lecomte

A lovely Oil on Canvas of Nautical Pleasures in early 20th century France, by Paul Emile Lecomte.

Paul Emile Lecomte, who went by Paul Lecomte, was born on October 29, 1877 in Paris.

He used the name Paul Emile Lecomte to sign his works and to differentiate himself from his uncle, art teacher and painter, Paul Lecomte, who was his first teacher.
Paul Emile studied at the Beaux Arts de Paris under the direction of Fernand Cormon, then joined the Ministry of the Navy. He was appointed official painter of the Navy in 1921.
His works were exhibited at the Salon de Paris from 1901 and throughout his career. Over the years he obtained several medals, one of which a gold medal. He was also a member of the Salon des Artistes Français.

Post-impressionist by training, Paul Emile was a landscape painter, although most of his paintings represented maritime or river scenes, he was also attracted by scenes of animated villages or richly colored market days.

Impressionist in his touch, he caressed the canvas with a lot of softness. His subjects were always very structured, and he knew how to find the balance in the paint nuances, sometimes lively and contrasted or more acidic and blended, according to the various subjects.
Paul Emile Lecomte passed away in Paris in 1950.

In this work, the artist evokes leisure nautical activities, which became fashionable at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. While at first reserved for the Aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, these leisure activities gradually became accessible to the working classes.

Canoeing and rowing started on the Seine and the Marne, then leisure bases were created with the development of the railway, at each station, Asnières, Argenteuil, Bougival…
This splendid realization highlights the technical qualities of Paul Emile. Using his painting knife, he crushes pure and vivid colors to represent the foliage of the trees on the right, while the trunks are painted with a simple stroke of color.

The effects of the sky are treated with crossed or zigzagging brush strokes.
The shimmering of the water is rendered in one brushstroke, sure and true.
The hats, the clarity of the sky and water, the abundant foliage transports us into a beautiful summer day, where the main actors have been placed in the center of the canvas to remind us of the importance of the subject and the place given to the nautical pleasures at the time.

Oil on canvas signed on the the lower right.
The Canvas measures 15 ¾ X 23 ¼
The frame measures 21 ¾ X 29 ¼

France 20th century c.Reference number: R-386