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Charles Roussel (1861-1936)
“Fisherman Portrait”
13 x 19 inches
oil on canvas
“Fisherman Portrait”
13 x 19 inches
oil on canvas
In 1882, Charles Roussel studied at the Academie
des Beaux-Arts in Paris, under artists Cabanel and
Weerts, and lived next to Manet. After graduating, he
left Paris and traveled, looking for inspirational sites to
sketch. In his travels, he met the artists Boudin,
Tattegrain, and Gaugin, who became his friends and
mentors. Eurgene Boudin and Roussel had much in
common and the elder master had a great influence on
his work.
Roussel found a spiritual home in the small seacoast
village of Berck, near Honfleur. The rich body of work
he left is the most extensive record of the fishing life of
the Normandy coast in existence. He was fascinated by
the daily routines of the coastal people and his
depictions of them reflect a profound social
conscience, like that of the Barbizon artists. Roussel's
fisherfolk and their relationship with the environment
express the theme of man being close to God through
living in harmony with nature, much like Millet's
reverence for the rural peasant.
Roussel did not like selling his work and carefully
chose his patrons. His friend, the Baroness James de
Rothschild, had a home in Berck and bought many of
his canvases. Despite Roussel's reclusive nature and
shyness at fame, his talent was appreciated by the
Academy and celebrated annually at the Salon des
Artistes Francais for forty-eight years.
When Roussel died, his grieving wife went into
seclusion, surrounded herself with his paintings, and
refused to let them be seen. After her death in 1974,
when Roussel's only son (Charles Jr.) inherited the
collection, these extraordinary treasures emerged into
the art world again.
The debut of the paintings was an international
celebration which began at Vose Galleries in Boston in
1989, and included programs at the French Library in
Boston. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed
works by Roussel's cousin, the famous composer,
Albert Roussel, while conductor Charles Dutoit
commented on the similarities in the two creative
spirits. After the success of the debut, three exhibits
followed at Vose Galleries in 1991, 1992 and 1993,
and another at Babcock Galleries in New York, before
the family stopped releasing paintings. The
rediscovery of Roussel's works established a great
demand for them, yet now we wait for each work to by
released by the family.
des Beaux-Arts in Paris, under artists Cabanel and
Weerts, and lived next to Manet. After graduating, he
left Paris and traveled, looking for inspirational sites to
sketch. In his travels, he met the artists Boudin,
Tattegrain, and Gaugin, who became his friends and
mentors. Eurgene Boudin and Roussel had much in
common and the elder master had a great influence on
his work.
Roussel found a spiritual home in the small seacoast
village of Berck, near Honfleur. The rich body of work
he left is the most extensive record of the fishing life of
the Normandy coast in existence. He was fascinated by
the daily routines of the coastal people and his
depictions of them reflect a profound social
conscience, like that of the Barbizon artists. Roussel's
fisherfolk and their relationship with the environment
express the theme of man being close to God through
living in harmony with nature, much like Millet's
reverence for the rural peasant.
Roussel did not like selling his work and carefully
chose his patrons. His friend, the Baroness James de
Rothschild, had a home in Berck and bought many of
his canvases. Despite Roussel's reclusive nature and
shyness at fame, his talent was appreciated by the
Academy and celebrated annually at the Salon des
Artistes Francais for forty-eight years.
When Roussel died, his grieving wife went into
seclusion, surrounded herself with his paintings, and
refused to let them be seen. After her death in 1974,
when Roussel's only son (Charles Jr.) inherited the
collection, these extraordinary treasures emerged into
the art world again.
The debut of the paintings was an international
celebration which began at Vose Galleries in Boston in
1989, and included programs at the French Library in
Boston. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed
works by Roussel's cousin, the famous composer,
Albert Roussel, while conductor Charles Dutoit
commented on the similarities in the two creative
spirits. After the success of the debut, three exhibits
followed at Vose Galleries in 1991, 1992 and 1993,
and another at Babcock Galleries in New York, before
the family stopped releasing paintings. The
rediscovery of Roussel's works established a great
demand for them, yet now we wait for each work to by
released by the family.