Pierre Thomas (1865-1930) — Riverbank in Limousin, oil on canvas

Oil on canvas by Pierre Thomas (1865-1930), a painter from Limoges associated with the Crozant school — this colony of artists who, following in the footsteps of Claude Monet and Armand Guillaumin, brought plein air Impressionism to the Creuse valley and made this corner of Limousin one of the key locations for French landscape painting. A river captured from the bank, at the hour when the light settles. Heir to the Impressionist lesson that he extends in a post-Impressionist vein, the painter works with small juxtaposed brushstrokes and allows the bare canvas to show through, so that the light seems to emerge from the very material. The wooded bank reflects on the water's surface in fragmented glimmers; in the distance, a house with a light roof emerges among the foliage. And this palette, recognisable above all — soft blues, ochres, water greens, and rosy accents. A cousin of the painter Paul Thomas, Pierre Thomas dedicated his work to the landscapes of Haute-Vienne and the Creuse valley, these riverbanks that the painters of Crozant came to capture on site. A referenced artist, whose value is tracked in the art market, he belongs to a school that is currently experiencing a genuine resurgence of interest among collectors. Signed at the bottom. Handwritten inscription on the back of the frame. Presented in its gilded frame.