Ecole de Paris Mid 1900-1999: Wartime Figures

Paris: A Wartime Study of Figures Relaxing in Springtime by Henri Miloch (1898-1979) Unsigned watercolour, graphite and gouache painting on artist’s paper, unframed Sheet: 12.25 x 9.5 inches Delightful group of sketches in paint by the highly regarded painter, Henri Miloch. The sheet depicts female and male figures relaxing in what may have been the first sunshine of Spring, during the final few months of World War II in Paris. Miloch most probably observed the figures in a park setting. This one is unsigned but is dated 15th April ’45 in his hand and using his commonly seen date notation of the month in roman numerals. This work forms part of a collection we currently hold by Miloch. Henri Miloch was born in Trieste (Italy) in 1898 but studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a member of the Society of French Artists. His life and work was very much centred in Brittany, in north west France, much of his work portrays Breton maritime life in the various ports, and local town observations, especially in the Concarneau area where he worked and exhibited for much of his artistic career. From 1959 he also had a workshop in Tours (Val de Loire). condition report: The sheet has rough edges, especially on the left side as there is a staple in the paper indicating this was torn from a sketchbook. The sheet has even mild toning throughout but the paint colour is good, clear and strong. There are a couple of paint “splodges” close to the lower edge, made by the artist.