1869 -1937 · Nantes, Paris and Salon of French Artists

Luminous carnations, elegance of portraiture and peaceful swimming scenes distinguish Paul Chabas in French painting of the Belle Époque.

Paul-Émile Chabas was born in Nantes in 1869 and died in Paris in 1937. Brother of the painter Maurice Chabas, he trained with William Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. He exhibited at the Salon des artistes français in 1890 and developed an art faithful to academic drawing, but softened by clear light and a delicate palette. A sought-after portraitist, he painted writers, social figures, young women and children with particular attention to skin tones, fabrics and restrained expression. The Portrait of Daniel Lesueur represents Jeanne Loiseau, novelist, poet and woman of letters known by the pen name. The Portrait of Daniel Lesueur represents Jeanne Loiseau, novelist, poet and woman of letters known by this pen name. The direct face, clothing and sobriety of the pose affirm an intellectual as well as a social identity. The Portrait of a Lady with a Red Scarf, on the contrary, uses the bright accent of the fabric to animate a softer harmony. The portraits of women and young girls show the same search for a calm presence, without overloading with accessories. Chabas is also famous for his figures of bathers and his nudes placed at the water's edge, such as Au crepuscule around 1905. His art thus combines academic ideal, modern intimacy and luminous atmosphere. The "Paul Chabas" selection notably compares Portrait of a Lady with a Red Scarf and Portrait of a Woman. His reading favors movement.

Chabas constructs the portrait through gentleness: a look, a complexion and an accent of fabric are enough to make the presence sensitive.