Antoine Bouvard

ANTOINE BOUVARD Senior (France, 1870-Italy, 1956)
"Venice Canal".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 60 x 81 cm; 80 x 102 cm (frame).

Venice was one of Antoine Bouvard's favorite subjects, treated here with his characteristic balance between architectural precision and evocative atmosphere. The scene shows a stretch of the canal animated by gondolas, flanked by Venetian palaces whose facades, richly modulated by the light, are softly reflected in the water.

The composition is organized from a deep perspective that leads the eye towards the horizon, a resource inherited from the Italian Vedutist tradition. Bouvard combines a detailed description of the architecture with a loose and vibrant brushstroke, especially visible on the water surfaces, where the chromatic reflections bring movement and luminosity to the scene. The use of a warm palette gives the whole a sense of serenity and timeless elegance.

Antoine Bouvard was a French painter, famous for offering a romantic and evocative vision of the city of canals. Unlike the vedutists of the 18th century, he did not seek topographical accuracy, but rather captured the atmosphere, the light and the "feeling" of an idealized, serene and timeless Venice, far removed from modernity.

The vedutti of Antoine Bouvard (who sometimes signed with the pseudonym Marc Aldine), had an enormous commercial success and are still highly appreciated on the international market.