Georges Émile Capon

GEORGES EMILE CAPON, (Paris, 1890 - 1980).
"Country landscape".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 38 x 46 cm, 52 x 60 cm (frame).

Georges Capon, also known as Georges Émile Capon, was a French painter, engraver and lithographer. Originally from the 9th arrondissement of Paris and with Norman roots, Georges Capon studied at the École Germain-Pilon. He was recognized mainly for his work as a poster artist, especially during the First World War, where he collaborated with Georges Dorival in the creation of posters. According to Sofia Papatamkou, these posters promoted solidarity and highlighted the active role that invalid ex-combatants could play in the country's economy. Civilis magazine comments on one of his posters, "The French Woman in War-Time," which features three women at work, highlighting one of them operating a machine, suggesting that she was in a factory.

In the 1920s, Capon moved to Spain, where he resided between 1927 and 1929, painting numerous watercolors of the villages of the province of Huelva, such as El Rocío and San Juan del Puerto. These works were presented in 1931 at the Art Institute of Chicago, along with other outstanding paintings such as Andalusian Women and his famous Bar Scenes. During World War II, Capon was a professor of drawing and chromolithography at the Estienne school and also participated in the Liberation-North resistance movement.

After the death of Berthe Weill, an influential French gallery owner who supported him professionally and was a close friend, Georges Capon retired from public life in 1951, adopting a more reserved lifestyle.

Capon died in Issy-les-Moulineaux in 1980. He is also known for being the grandfather of the painter Gilles Ghez.