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Andre Bauchant
(1873-1958)
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Unlike many of his contemporaries, Andre Bauchant got a relatively late start in his career as a painter.
Born in Castle-Renault, Bauchant worked as a gardener until 1914 when he entered into the army. During his
five year service, Bauchant showed great skill as an illustrator and was trained as a mapmaker. Upon his return
home, Bauchant fervently pursued his art career and had his first exhibition at the Salon d’ Automne in 1921.
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Fleurs Dans un Paysage
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Le Fruitier, 1957
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Although Bauchant never received academic art training, his work still has a quality that brought him recognition
during his lifetime, and that makes his art collectible today. Though touted by some harsh critics as being naïve
(as he is classified, artistically), Bauchant’s self-taught style is full of mythology and history as well as a love
of the natural environment.
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The Funeral Procession of Alexander the Great, 1940
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The Proclamation of American Independence, 1926
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Cleopatra’s Barge
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Bauchant gained a great deal of popularity despite his “naïve” style, and was called upon to work on various projects,
such as set design for ballets. In 1937, Bauchant took part in an exhibition entitled “Popular Masters of Reality” which
traveled to Zurich, London and New York.
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Portrait of Turns Bodo, 1945
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Fleurs
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Flower Boat
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Even though Bauchant’s oeuvre is saturated with floral motifs and landscapes (probably in appreciation of his
days as a gardener), and historical scenes, occasionally one will find an oil on canvas that is different from
the rest. Some of Bauchant’s earliest Parisian scenes look completely different from his later and more well-known naïve art.
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These paintings are almost unrecognizable as Bauchant's compared to the style he ultimately developed that
some of his earliest pieces could have easily been overlooked or wrongly authenticated.
Also of note would be his many sketches or cartographic compositions that Bauchant created while in the war.
Not only would these serve as historical artifacts, but would be valuable pieces of art history as well. During
his time in the service, Bauchant surely traveled Europe extensively, and the likelihood for some of this work
to exist today is very great. |
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