Louis Valtat

A French artist and engraver, a representative of Fauvism.

His father was an amateur artist and instilled in his son love for fine art. The future artist studied at Lycee Hoche in Versailles, where he lived with his parents.

Louis Valtat was never a formal member of the Fauvist group, but the key features of his work allow him to be referred specifically to this movement. The artist rarely visited Paris, but it did not stop him from keeping abreast of all the artistic novelties and taking part in various exhibitions: the Salon of Independent, the Autumn Salon, the Vienna Secession, the Free Art exhibitions in Brussels, and the Moscow exhibition – 1908. Louis Valtat also collaborated with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in decorating the Paris theater “L’Oeuvre” in 1894. Thanks to his close acquaintance with the collector A. Vollard, he gained popularity among his compatriots abroad. The creativity of the artist is considered a transition between Impressionism and the new aesthetics of the twentieth century, which the work of Henri Matisse embodies.

Key ideas:

– Louis Valtat can be called a harbinger of Fauvism. He began to use open colors and a simplified construction in his canvasses long before the famous Autumn Salon in 1905 announced the birth of a new style, the art of “wild” or Fauvism. The natural sense of color and the tendency to use contrasting shades formed the artist’s individual style, which reflected the general tendencies of French painting of the late 19th century.

– The artist is known primarily for his landscapes. He liked to depict the southern coast of France, the views of Normandy or summer gardens with women and children. His paintings are filled with sunlight; they differ in calm, peaceful mood and smooth wavy lines.

– Unlike Post-impressionists and most Fauvists, Valtat rarely used local spots filled with pure color. His painting consists of the separate strokes of contrasting shades, as in the works of Signac and other pointillists; although these strokes are large enough and form a single color spot in a distant view.

– In addition to landscapes, the artist paid much attention to portraits and still lifes. He often portrayed his wife Suzanne resting in the house or playing with the child on the street. At the end of his life, the artist bought a mansion in the small town of Choisele, where he created a chic garden. He painted colorful still lifes with flowers and fruits from the garden and often invited fellow artists to his estate.