Camille Felix Bellanger (France, 1853-1923). Oil on canvas painting titled “The Road to Market” depicting a young woman laden with wheat and apples stopping to speak with an older seated woman, 1901. Signed and dated along the lower right. With labels from Kurt E. Schon, Ltd. Fine Art affixed to the stretcher along the verso. Though much of Bellanger’s early life remains obscure, it is clear that he was studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts by the early 1870s. While there he trained with two of the most well-known academic painters of the day, Alexandre Cabanel and William Bouguereau. Their influence can be felt in much of Bellanger’s early works. During the first stage of his career, his works were primarily in the academic style approved by the Ecole and often portrayed mythological or religious subject matter.

After his acceptance of a post as a professor of drawing at the Ecole Speciale Militaire de St. Cyr a shift in his subject matter took place. He began painting scenes of peasant life, albeit with attractive models rather than the more rugged appearance afforded by such a life. He would go on to depict the Breton countryside and its inhabitants in a combination of the academic style in which he was taught and an idealistic view of rural life. He was afforded a Legion of Honor medal in 1911 by the French government in recognition of his long dedication to his art. Today, his works are held in the collections of museums worldwide including the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

Unframed; height: 35 1/4 in x width: 48 in.
Framed; height: 44 in x width: 56 1/2 in.