artist
Benjamin-Marie-Albert André began his career by surrounding himself with the great impressionist painters of his time; Paul Cézanne, Louis Valtat, Henry Bataille and most significantly, Pierre-August Renoir. Over the past years, André developed his own unique style that set him apart from his contemporaries. He identified himself with the Post-Impressionists and place greater emphasis on form and content than on surface appearance. Post-Impressionism was both an extension of Impressionism and a rejection of its limitations. Many Post-Impressionists continued using vivid colors, thick application of paint, distinctive brushstrokes and real-life subject matter, but they were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary color. Other Post-Impressionists like André attempted to show the world as it actually is. André channeled this concept with his unpretentious appreciation of the simplest things of everyday life and of nature, a quality also found in the paintings of his old friend, Renoir. André compiled two books on Renoir that expressed his admiration for Renoir's inspiration to paint what was around him.
provenance
Private Collection Esther Pollack, CT