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Gen Paul
(1895-1975)
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Don Quixote
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| Gen Paul was born
Eugene Paul in Montmartre. As a child, Paul took quickly
to drawing and painting, and was eventually trained to
create decorative furniture. He was never able to
receive any academic training, and was called to serve
at the onset of World War I. While in the army, Paul was
severely wounded and lost one of his legs as a result.
However, this would lead Paul to find art again while he
was recovering and would become his lifelong career. |
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Port St. Denis
Cavaliers
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Paul had a number of
early influences, including Cezanne, Goya and Van Gogh.
He began painting in an Expressionist style after the
help of friend Juan Gris. While living in Montmartre,
Paul became friends with Maurice Utrillo and many other
artists living in the area at that time. |
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Vase de Fleurs
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His first exhibit was
at the Salon d’Automne in 1920. These early paintings
were in an active style of Expressionism which
incorporated movement into his compositions. A
pre-cursor to the work of the Futurists, Paul’s
paintings showed action through brush strokes, forced
perspective and the use of light and color. It is
thought that this form of active Expressionism was
Paul’s answer to overcoming his handicap, and showed a
positive outlook on life. |
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Steeple Chase
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Nonetheless, Paul met
the 1930s with a severe alcohol addiction. His paintings
during this time are much darker and less positive as an
effect. Paul seemed to break away from his more somber
style in the 1940s, but as a result, his work never
again seemed to have the vibrant sense of movement that
it did in his earlier work. |
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Rue des Abbess devant L’Eglise St.
Jean Baptiste, 1927
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While most of Paul’s
work is typical scenes of Montmartre and Parisian
cityscapes, he also created a number of paintings
featuring jazz artists. Paul traveled to the United
States and here he began to paint musicians, which
became an area of great interest for him. |
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Joueur de Guitare
Clowns, Musicians
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During his lifetime,
Paul may not have met the same level of success as his
fellow painters in Montmartre, but he succeeded in
making a career out of his art and gained a place in art
history. Paul was even awarded the Legion of Honor in
1934, and continued painting into the 1960s. Today, his
work can be found in a number of museums in Europe, but
it is speculated that most of his paintings are in
private collections. Could your painting be one of these
elusive pieces by Gen Paul? Contact us to find out. |
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