Alfred CASILE (1848-1909) - Seaside near Marseille

Dimensions : Diameter : 29cm

Alfred Casile is a French impressionist. Born in Marseille in 1848, it is however difficult to classify him among the Provençal painters of the end of the 19th century, because his training and his encounters made him discover and appreciate the landscapes and skies of the north. Moving to Paris, he followed naturalist training with a master from the Barbizon school, Antoine Guillemet. The latter introduced him to Eugène Boudin and Johan Barthold Jongkind who worked in Honfleur, and who are considered the fathers of Impressionism. Antoine Guillement also maintains strong relationships with this young impressionist movement, and introduces Alfred Casile to Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet.

Casile then appropriates a subtle touch, with which he works to render the impression of nature as a motif, with its modulations and its changing atmosphere. Living in Belgium for a few years, Alfred Casile produces beautiful works with light and faded gray tones.

In 1891, Casile returned to the south, abandoning the success he could have taken part in in Paris; he did not fully integrate into the Provençal school which undoubtedly did not forgive his Parisian connections, and did not identify with its diaphanous chromatic range and its sometimes foggy skies. This position between north and south undoubtedly explains the still low price today for this talented painter, even if some of Casile's works have obtained very high results at auction in France and the United States. Casile's paintings are exhibited in prestigious museums, such as the Granet Museum in Aix en Provence, the Calvet Museum in Avignon, the Museum of Fine Arts in Béziers, Dieppe, Grenoble, and in Marseille at the Fine Arts Museums. and Grobet-Labadié.

Our painting is a luminous and very well composed work in a round format, bold for a seascape. The drawing is precise and delicate, while the color treatment is well removed. This work reflects this dual training of Casile, naturalist and impressionist. It is one of Casile's rare subjects whose subtle nuances translate the sunny weather of the Mediterranean.