Henri Lebasque 1865–1937 | French Nabi painter

Henri Lebasque 1865–1937 | French Nabi painter
A unique style of expressive freedom embodies the work of post-impressionist Henri Lebasque. He built upon his foundation of traditional academic training through his many associations with noted artists and the diverse schools of late 19TH Century France. Humanity at leisure, presented with warm colors and a trained eye for beauty are his forté. He repeatedly chose to paint subjects which he was familiar, including his daughters, Marthe and Nono.
The list of artists he associated with as a friend and professional is a who’s who of French art: impressionist Camille Pisarro is listed as an early teacher, after Lebasque’s studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts with Leon Bonnat. The coloration influences of Georges Seurat and friend Paul Signac’s Pointillism appealed to him as well. He would be counted amongst Fauvism’s ‘wild beasts’ alongside his friend Henri Matisse, for their broad, flat use of color, concerned with technical simplicity. He enjoyed popular support and favor from the various critics of the Parisian salons.
Active in exhibiting with the Paris salons for years, he was a founding member in 1903 of the Salon d’Automne. As important as his urban activities is the fact that he is recognized as a painter of the Parisian countryside and the ports of the French coasts from Normandie to Cannes, where he made his semi-permanent home in 1924. His role in this transitional period of impressionism to modernism and beyond is well defined and represented in his colorful works celebrating lives of relaxed joy.
Works of art by Henri Lebasque are in museum collections in France, America, and Switzerland; he exhibited in these countries during his lifetime.