Alfred Guillou (12 September 1844,

Concarneau Concarneau (, meaning "Bay of Cornouaille") is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in Northwestern France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie ...

- 1926, Concarneau) was a French painter of

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

heritage.

Biography

His father was a fisherman and farmer who served as mayor of Concarneau for fifteen years.Museum of Pont Aven: Exhibition notes with biography.
(Cached) He received his first art lessons from the lithographer Théodore Le Monnier (1815–1888), who was visiting Concarneau. On his advice, Guillou moved to Paris in 1862, where he attended the Académie Suisse for a short time, then found a position in the workshop of

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French Painting, painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the Academic art, academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon ...

. While there, he met

Jules Bastien-Lepage Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that grew out of the Realist movement and paved the way for the development of impressioni ...

Fernand Cormon Fernand Cormon (; 24 December 1845 – 20 March 1924) was a French painter born in Paris. He became a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin, and Jean-François Portaels, and one of the leading historical painters of modern France. Biog ...

and

Théophile Deyrolle Théophile-Louis Deyrolle (16 December 1844, Paris - 14 December 1923, Concarneau) was a French painter, illustrator and Ceramic art, ceramicist. Biography He came from a family of entomologists and naturalists who owned a well-known taxiderm ...

, who he convinced to give up architecture and join him at Cabanel's. He debuted at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

in 1868 with his ''Young Breton Fisherman''. Three years later, he and his friend Deyrolle left Paris for Concarneau, with nothing more than they could carry on their backs. The following year, Deyrolle married Guillou's sister Suzanne (1846-1933), who was also a painter. Together, they created the Concarneau Art Colony, which benefitted from its proximity to

Pont-Aven Pont-Aven (; in Breton) is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. Demographics Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called in French. Pont-Aven absorbed the former commune of Nizon in 1954, which had ...

, where

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

and his followers congregated. He also exhibited works at both the 1889 and 1900 Universal Exhibitions in Paris where he received silver medals. After his marriage to the daughter of the engraver Joseph Gabriel Tourny (1817–1880), he maintained a home in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. It is split betwee ...

, but spent as much time as possible in his hometown. Following his father's death in 1887, he built a home and workshop there, became involved in local politics and joined the board of the Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper. Over the years, the Colony attracted many artists who were either interested in maritime subjects or wanted to achieve a sort of primitivism; represented for them by the traditions of the Breton people, which had survived mostly intact from an earlier period. Among the better-known artists who spent time there were

Peder Severin Krøyer Peder Severin Krøyer (; 23 July 1851 – 21 November 1909), also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter. Life Growing up and early training Krøyer was born in Stavanger, Norway, on 23 July 1851 to a single mother, Ellen Cecilie Gjes ...

Charles Cottet Charles Cottet (; 12 July 1863 – 20 September 1925) was a French painter, born at Le Puy-en-Velay and died in Paris. A famed Post-Impressionist, Cottet is known for his dark, evocative painting of rural Brittany and seascapes. He led a sch ...

, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret,

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and T. Alexander Harrison.

Some of Guillou's works

* "Le dernier marin du "Vengeur"". This Guillou painting was purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1881. * "Arrivée du pardon de Sainte-Anne de Fouesnant, Concarneau". This Guillou painting was purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1887. A photograph of the painting can be seen in the gallery below. * "Bretonne portant du goémon" or "Ramasseuse de goémon". This painting dates to 1890 and is held by the Musée de Jacobins in

Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...

. A preliminary sketch can be seen in the Paris Musée du Louvre département des Arts graphiques. * " Arrivée des Pecheurs de Sardines". Painting can be seen in Saint-Brieuc's Musée d'art et d'histoire des Côtes-d'Armor. * "Debarquement du Thon à Concarneau". This painting can be seen in theSaint-Brieuc Musée d'art et d'histoire des Côtes-d'Armor. * "Au devant de son Père". This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1897. * "La première Visite aux Grands-Parents". This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1910. * "Jeune marin tenant dans ses bras un énorme poisson". This pencil sketch is held by the Paris Musée du Louvre département des Arts graphique.

Selected paintings

File:Alfred Guillou - Fille paysanne.jpg, ''Street Musician'' File:Alfred Guillou - Arrivée du pardon de sainte Anne de Fouesnant à Concarneau - 1887.jpg, ''Arrival of the

Pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

of Sainte Anne at Concarneau'' (Quimper Musée des Beaux-arts) File:Alfred Guillou - The mussel gatherer.jpg, ''The Mussel Gatherer'' File:Alfred Guillou, 1844-1926, à l'abri de la Tempête ou Entre marins,circa 1890,94x75,5cm,Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper.jpg, ''Sheltered from the Storm'' (Quimper Musée des Beaux-arts) File:Alfred Guillou La ramasseuse de goémon.jpg, ''The Kelp Picker''

References

External links

The Concarneau Art Colony.
From ''Rural Artists' Colonies in Europe, 1870–1910'', by Nina Lübbren @ Google Books

Brief biography of Guillou with more paintings, including a portrait of him by Théophile Deyrolle.
ArtNet: More works by Guillou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guillou, Alfred 1844 births 1926 deaths People from Concarneau Artists from Brittany (administrative region) Breton artists French male painters 19th-century French painters 20th-century French painters 19th-century French male artists 20th-century French male artists