GEORGES CALLOT (1857 - 1903): Diana / autumn
Signed below left, chimney piece (one out of two), oil on canvas, dimensions 101 x 69 cm. Price € 1.750.
Offered are two chimney pieces by the French painter Georges Callot. We offer them separately, but as representations of the floral wealth of spring and of the hunt (autumn), they unmistakably belong together. As chimney pieces, their prime function is being decorative. Hanging one of these splendid paintings on your wall is like placing a huge bouquet of flowers on your table. For this reason, we also find these paintings particularly suitable for a representative environment. Both paintings are in remarkably good condition. The narrow frames are the original frames that included the canvases in the paneling of the chimney.
The Paris-born French painter Georges Callot studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs and then at the École des Beaux-Arts under the guidance of Louis-Emile Adan. Callot is known for his genre paintings and allegorical decorative paintings including the goddess Diana (1885), Ariadne who is comforted by Bacchus (1887), the death of Eurydice (1894) and the birth of Orpheus (date unknown). Some of his paintings have a very symbolistic undertone. Towards the end of his life Callot focussed on painting portraits. Especially pastel portraits in the tradition of the eighteenth-century were very popular. From 1877 Callot regularly exhibited in the Salon, since 1890 as a member of the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts. This confirmed his reputation as a leading artist. Callot was a teacher at and co-founder of the Académie Delecluse which was located in the then art district of Montparnasse. Despite his relatively early death, Callot has received several awards for his work, including the Knight Order of the Légion d'honneur. The catalogue of his legacy (in the Musée Rodin) shows that Callot owned work by Monet's teacher Eugène Boudin and the symbolist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. The influence of the art (especially the nudes) of Gustave Courbet, the pioneer of Impressionism, is clearly visible.
In addition to easel painting with a decorative touch, Callot has distinguished himself as a painter of interior pieces. He was commissioned by the city of Paris to enrich the Parisian Hôtel de Ville, where the most prominent artists cooperated, with a chimney piece entitled "La Philosophie" and decorated several Parisian residences. The two extraordinarily appealing chimney pieces in the Ars Decora collection are an illustration of his abilities in this area. Characteristic are the light, smooth tone, the playful character and the characteristic color palette. Unfortunately it is unknown for which town house Callot has executed these fireplace pieces; but your home (or office, shop) may be next.
