Paul Chocarne-Moreau (1855

Paul Chocarne-Moreau (1855-1931)
And the most handy
Oil canvas signed and dated 1905 lower right
Salon of 1905
39.37 x 31.50 inch
A genre painter, Paul Chocarne-Moreau was born in Dijon, in the Burgundy region of France in 1855. Paul
Chocarne-Moreau studied at the Fine-Arts Academy in Paris under the direction of William Bouguereau and
Tony Robert-Fleury, both very famous artists who eventually became President of the Société des Artistes Français.
A very skilled portrait artist, he soon decided to depict mainly children and their playful nature, even though
Paul Chocarne-Moreau represented them mostly while at work, in the streets of Paris.
Indeed, with the birth of industrialized countries in Europe, the 19th Century saw a growing interest in the
working-class children and the hardship of their lifc, which was expressed through art and in litterature. Chocarne
Moreau used the children as the main theme of his paintings but, rather than representing the often crual and
sorrowful nature of their life, he chose to treat the subject in a humorous and anecdotal manner.
Chocarne-Moreau shows us the hidden scenes of young boys at play or making up jokes, thus emphasizing on the
playful deceptiveness typical of youth.
Paul Chocarne-Moreau depicts them in their daily life, both at work and at play, telling lively stories through his
works and offering the viewer a chance to become a direct witness of the rivalries, games, threats, jokes and joys
the boys experience within their relationships. The black figure of a young chimney sweeper, the white apron of a
cook trainee, the dungaree of a little street vendor all illuminates his paintings, often backed by a wall of colourful
teared posters. One of his favorite is the young baker at work, or stealing some time off while running some
errands in the streets of Paris.
His palette is consistent in his choice of image and recalls similar color schemes. Paul Chocarne-Moreau offers
sensitivity to images of childhood while contributing to the expansion of the boundaries of genre painting.
His amusing and often silly anecdotes were giving a lighter mood and were a pleasing respite from a often serious
period in the history of art. He produced refreshing works which encountered a real success within a large public .
From 1882, he exhibited regularly at The Salon ("Au plus adroit", 1905; "Mi-carême", 1907;"Heureuse rencontre",
1908; "Sur la barricade", 1909; "Saute-mouton", 1911; "Libre échange", 1913...).
Galerie Ary Jan
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He received an Honorable Mention in 1886, ("Before the Salon"), and a Bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition
in 1889.
His iconic images of the comical lives of young children, considered during his time as "the highlights of the
Salon", have been presented later as forerunning those of the american artist Norman Rockwell.
Museums
Paris, Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée,
Archives nationales, RMN.
Ajaccio, Palais Fesch, musée des Beaux-Arts.
Dijon, Lyon, Rennes , (musées des Beaux-Arts)
Moulins, Musée Anne de Beaujeu.
Bibliography
Benezit, Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, Gründ, Paris 1999
Schurr et Cabanne, Dictionnaire des petits maîtres de la peinture, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, 1996.
Chantal Georgel, L'Enfant et l'Image au XIXe Siècle, Paris: Éditions de la RMN, 1988, et,
L'enfant, Carnet parcours du Musée d'Orsay, RMN 1989.
Gilles Candar, " Enfances du XIXe siècle ", sur le site La Tribune de l'Art.
Jean Sandrin, Enfants trouvés, enfants ouvriers, (17e-19e siècles), Paris Aubier, coll.Floréal, 1982
Galerie Ary Jan
38 rue de Penthièvre | 75008 Paris
Tel : +33 (0)1 42 61 42 10 | Mobile : +33 (0)6 07 88 75 84
[email protected] | www.galeriearyjan.com