Description

MONCHABLON, Jean Ferdinand (1855-1904) 
"Little Mill near Jonvelle "
Oil on panel
Signed on the lower right: Jan - Monchablon
Part of an inscription on the lower left: ce. 193.
Labels on the back

Provenance: property from a private collector, Montréal; Christie's, October 24, 1990, sale 7178, lot 62

Source: Benezit, p. 171

Born in Chatillon-sur-Saône in the Vosges, Jean Ferdinand Monchablon, also known under the name Jan, came to Paris in the late 1970s. He studied painting
with famous painters: Jean-Paul Laurens at first, then Alexandre Cabanel. Despite his academic training focused on history paintings and portraits, Jan
Monchablon would be successful in another type of art: the landscapes, pastoral and agricultural work of his time. The painting we present constitutes a perfect example of his work.

In a field of Haute-Saône, cattle graze peacefully. On the background we can see a mill with chickens in the front. A woman, warmly dressed, leaves the farm
while the storm is looming up.
More than a scene of life, the artist depicts a still life: an atmosphere, an instant. Characters and animals are part of the overall impression.
The artist gives a tribute to his native region, like Courbet in his "Source de la Loue" (Zurich, Kunsthaus). 

Monchablon’s approach was well received by
the critics: in the show of 1895, some of them said they could smell the fragrance of his "Arbres en fleurs" and his "Champs de Blé" and appreciated their
"vibrant paint brush" and " their pleasant tones”. One of the landscapes of the artist is presented in the halls of the Museum of Fine Arts in Chambery.

33x44.5cm - 13x17.5''