André Barbier

ANDRÉBARBIER (Arras, France, 1883 - 1970).
"Arabian souk".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner and on the back.
Measurements: 150 x 170 cm.
Born into a family of lawyers, at the age of twenty he left Arras to move to Paris, where he began his career as an artist. The French capital was enough for Barbier to make his works known, exhibiting in the Salon des Indépendants from 1903 to 1967, a society founded by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac (among other important artists) in 1884, in which were exhibited for the first time all the prevailing artistic trends in French society in the early twentieth century. Barbier also exhibited at the National Society of Fine Arts in 1911 and at the International Exhibition. In 1916 he met the master Claude Monet, a personality who not only influenced his work, but also produced important contributions on a personal level. Barbier's artistic production is mainly based on still lifes, landscapes and genre scenes such as the one we present here. Barbier is known for his exceptional light treatment, whose works present tonalities that blend harmoniously with each other, bathed in intense colors, resulting in moderate and completely evocative atmospheres. On this occasion the artist represents an Arab souk in which merchants richly dressed in tunics and satin turbans negotiate with each other. The description of the harnesses and harnesses of the animals, as well as the rich clothing of each character reflects the daily life of the Arab market, through a look that seeks to be objective, heir to impressionism.