Louis Mathieu Verdilhan (24 November 1875 – 15 December 1928) was a French artist known especially for his paintings of the

Old Port of Marseille The Old Port of Marseille (French: ''Vieux-Port de Marseille'', ) is at the end of the Canebière, the major street of Marseille. It has been the natural harbour of the city since antiquity and is now the main popular place in Marseille. It becam ...

. He was born in

Saint-Gilles-du-Gard Saint-Gilles (; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Sant Geli''; en, St. Giles) or Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in southern France. It is the second most populous commune in th ...

. His family moved to the

Chartreux The Chartreux is a rare breed of cat from France, and is recognised by a number of registries around the world. The Chartreux is large and muscular (called ''cobby'') with relatively short, fine-boned limbs, and very fast reflexes. They are know ...

district in Marseille in 1877. Born into a poor family, he apprenticed to a house painter in 1890 but began drawing with the support of the Marseille artist

Eugène Giraud Pierre François Michelle Eugène Giraud (August 8, 1806 – December 28, 1881) was a French painter and engraver. He painted one of the best known portraits of writer Gustave Flaubert. He won many awards and honors in recognition for his work. ...

. In 1895, he established a studio that he kept for his entire life, at No. 12 rue Fort-Notre-Dame. In 1898, he traveled for the first time to Paris and worked with the decorator

Adrien Karbowsky Adrien Karbowsky (15 December 1855 – 14 March 1945) was a French painter, decorator and architect. He is known for his Art Nouveau murals and tapestry designs. Life Adrien Karbowsky was born on 15 December 1855. He was a pupil of Jean-Baptiste ...

to produce part of the ornamentation of the ''Salon du bois'' of the decorative arts pavilion for the 1900 World's Fair. He returned to Marseille in 1900. In 1902, he lost his left eye in an accident. His artistic career began in 1902 with an exhibition at Galeries Braun in Marseille and then, in 1905, an exhibition at the Palace of Architects at the Avenue du Prado. He exhibited in Paris in 1906 at the

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

. His early works were painted in a style reminiscent of

Monticelli Monticelli may refer to: Places in Italy ;Municipalities (''comuni'') * Monticelli Brusati, in the Province of Brescia * Monticelli d'Ongina, in the Province of Piacenza * Monticelli Pavese, in the Province of Pavia * Monte San Biagio, in the ...

and

van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

. From 1907 to 1913 his work was influenced by

Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

and

German Expressionism German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...

. From 1908 he participated regularly in the

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The f ...

. In 1909, he spent six months in Versailles where he made many paintings. He occupied from 1910 to 1914 a workshop at No. 12 quay of Rive Neuve. Mobilized in Toulon during the First World War, Verdilhan met

Albert Marquet Albert Marquet (27 March 1875 – 14 June 1947) was a French painter, associated with the Fauvist movement. He initially became one of the Fauve painters and a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse. Marquet subsequently painted in a more natural ...

and was influenced by his work. He also met

André Suarès André Suarès, born Isaac Félix Suarèshttp://data.bnf.fr/11925703/andre_suares/fr.pdf (12 June 1868, Marseille – 7 September 1948, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés) was a French poet and critic. From 1912 onwards, he was one of the four "pillars" of ...

and

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important ...

. After the war, he resided successively in Aix-en-Provence, Cassis and Toulon. On 16 March 1919, he married Hélène Casile, the younger daughter of painter

Alfred Casile Alfred Casile (1848–1909) was a French landscape and marine painter. Biography His mother was from an old, established Marseille family. His father was of Corsican origin and held a high position in the railroad company. He received his art ...

. He exhibited in New York at the gallery Kraushaar. The paintings he made between 1920 and 1926 are characterized by light, flat colors and harmonious forms bounded by simplified outlines.Chol et al., p. 68. In 1925 he painted a mural for the Provence pavilion of l'Exposition universelle. In 1926 he painted a decoration for the Opéra de Marseille: this painting represents the festival of 14 July in Marseille and was much criticized during the inauguration of the opera. His palette darkened in the works of his final years. He died of laryngeal cancer on 15 December 1928 in Marseilles. Verdilhan's brother was the painter and sculptor André Alexandre Verdilhan (1881–1963).

Gallery

File:Louis-Mathieu Verdilhan - Paysage.jpg, ''Paysage - Aix-en-Provence'', ca. 1902–1907,

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the ...

, Musée d'Art File:Louis-Mathieu Verdilhan-Littoral Varois.jpg, ''Littoral Varois'', ca. 1907 File:Verdilhan - Le bar des colonies à Toulon.jpg, ''Le bar des colonies à Toulon'', ca. 1910–1915 File:Louis Mathieu Verdilhan Le Port des Martigues.jpg, ''Le Port de Martigues'', ca. 1913–1925 File:Louis Mathieu Verdilhan Le vieux-port de Marseille, 1905.jpg, ''Le vieux-port de Marseille'' File:Louis Mathieu Verdilhan Paysage, maison et cyprès.jpg, ''Paysage, maison et cyprès'' File:Verdilhan Louis-Mathieu - Le Grand Pavois dans le port de Marseille.jpg, ''Le Grand Pavois dans le port de Marseille'' File:Verdilhan-Vieux port de Marseille.jpg, ''Vieux port de Marseille'', 1927

Notes

References

*Chol, Daniel, Jean Chol, Huguette Lasalle, and Louis-Mathieu Verdilhan (1991). ''Louis-Mathieu Verdilhan, Peintre de Marseille''. Aix-en-Provence: Edisud. . *Chol, Daniel (2005). ''Louis Mathieu Verdilhan (1875-1928), carillonneur de couleurs, architecte de la forme''. Ediz. Chol. . *Alauzen, André-Laurent-Noet (2006). ''Dictionnaire des peintres et sculpteurs de Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur''. Marseille: Ediz. Jeanne Laffitte. . *Soubiran, Jean-Roger (1987). ''La peinture en Provence dans les collections du Musée de Toulon du XVIIe au début du XXe siècle''. Toulon: Musée de Toulon. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Verdilhan, Louis Mathieu 1875 births 1928 deaths 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters Artists from Marseille