Fontainebleau Fine Art

DELAUZIERES, Andr̩e(French, 1904-1941) "Harbor of Saint Martin de R̩" (Ile de R̩, France) ‰ÛÒ 1932

Signed Delauzi̬res and dated 1932 (lower left)

Counter-signed and titled on the back of the canvas

 Beautiful custom-made, hand-crafted, gilded and patinated French frame with natural oak Marie-Louise liner from the renowned framing house Les Cadres Gault rue St Honor̩ in Paris.

Andr̩e Delauzi̬res, born Andr̩e Balande, whose father, Gaston Balande, was already a celebrated painter, wanted his success be earned only from his own merit. He took an artist name he chose in a very simple way by adopting the cabin's name where his father had a workshop. The cabin Lauzi̬res was indeed one of the favorite refuges of Gaston Balande where he enjoyed painting accompanied by his wife and only son Andr̩e.

Delauzi̬res acquired an early taste for drawing and decided to pursue an artist's career. He studied under the tutelage of the academic masters Jean-Paul Laurens and William Lappara, the latter having significantly influenced Delauzi̬res. Lappara used a lively touch, close to the likes of the Balande's, and loved the exotic subjects that Andr̩e will discover during his travels in North Africa.

Delauzi̬res completed his formal training at the School of Fine Arts in Paris in the studio of Lucien Simon. It was in his class he befriended the famous landscape painter Yves Brayer in 1924.

Delauzi̬res was accepted to compete in Paris at the career-launching Salon des Artistes Fran̤cais of which he became a member and where he was selected for several commissioned projects.

From 1926 on, he exhibited at the trend-setting Salon des Ind̩pendants, Salon d‰۪Automne and Salon des Tuileries. In 1932, the artist won the  Prix de la Savoie  in 1934, a prize at the Colonial Salon of Fine Arts which granted him a trip to Tunis from where he will bring back many landscape and genre scene paintings. In 1935, Delauzi̬res was awarded the Bernheim de Villiers prize and in 1939, the prize of the Compagnie G̩en̩erale Transatlantique  The latter granted him a travel to Morocco, a project that unfortunately will not materialize because of the declaration of war.

Andr̩ was mobilized. Wounded and hospitalized in 1940, he was sent to recover from his wounds in Lauzi̬res in the care of his wife and parents. At first, he seemed to recover rather quickly. Then, the following months, his health deteriorated unexpectedly and his death in 1941 at 37 years old cut short a blooming career.

Andr̩ Delauzi̬res left us some exquisite paintings; the line is confident, the light is warm .They still had a clear connection to the work of his father; their brilliant composition prove that he learned a lot from him. However, if it were not for his premature death, the artist's style would have certainly kept evolving to a signature style.

This work depicting a picturesque harbor of Ile de R̩ (on the French Atlantic coast) near the birthplace of the artist‰۪s family exemplifies what Delauzi̬res was best talented for: vibrant yet authentic light, strong lines down to the bare essential and a perfect framing of the subject.