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 Gilbert-Louis Bellan (1868-1938)
A painter in both oils and watercolors, Gilbert-Louis Bellan was born in Paris, France on June 19, 1868. By 1887, he showed at an exposition at the Salon of French Artists and continued his relationship with them until the 1920’s. He also participated in the exhibitions of the National Beaux-Arts, the Salon of Independence at the Tuilleries in Paris, and the Watercolor International Exhibition from 1911 through 1936.
He was sent to the Mission of the Armies in 1917 where he created a series of paintings and sketches that he titled France Devastated and Reborn and again, in 1920, the Director of the Beaux-Arts commissioned him for a series illustrating liberated France. In those paintings, he depicted devastated scenes with both individuality and compassion. The Circle of the Interallied Union honored his wartime paintings in 1923, some of which are now owned by the city of Paris and others by the Museum of War in Vincennes, France. In 1919, he painted La Signature du Traité de Paix de Versailles dans la Galerie des Glaces, le 28 Juin 1919.
He continued painting, depicting such varied subjects in both oil and watercolor, as Paris on Holiday, Flowers, Opera House, Celebration of Victory, and New Bridge. One of Bellan’s most notable works is entitled L’Ancetre, a painting of a magnificent oak. This painting was done in homage to Clemenceau, the Premier of France during World War I and considered by the French to be “Le Pere la Victoire”. This tree, on Clemenceau’s property in the Vendee forest, was the place where he frequently rested and composed his memoirs. At the time, a critic noted that it was “an unexpected and superb work…and the artist has magnificently expressed its power and grandeur.” Another mentioned that “The subject was suggested by Clemenceau already associated with painting as the lifelong friend of Claude Monet, as a symbol of his own life and personality.”
For his work, Bellan earned the distinction of a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
Bellan died in 1938, leaving behind a remarkable oeuvre of artistic achievement.
Information provided by Denis Boyce |
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