[PDF] Henri Lebasque (1865 - France

Who was Henri Lebasque?

Henri Lebasque (French, 1865–1937) was a Post-Impressionist artist, known as the "painter of joy and light." Born in Champigné, France, in 1885, he went to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. During this time, Lebasque began participating in the annual art society exhibitions and the Paris Salons.

What influenced Lebasque?

Much like his friends Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, and Henri Matisse, Lebasque was profoundly influenced by his time painting in the South of France, where his palette became more luminous and colorful. He would go on to paint both domestic interiors and landscapes throughout his life, gradually adopting the Fauvist style.

How did Lebasque become a painter?

During these years Lebasque experimented with neo-Impressionist techniques, which he abandoned some years later in favour of a more natural brush-stroke. At the beginning of the 20 th century he settled for five years in Lagny, where he painted landscapes.

Why did Lebasque die?

For health reasons (he had suffered from rheumatism since his youth) Lebasque retired to the coast at the end of his life. During this last period he painted female nudes, the figures filled with light and tenderness. Lebasque died in Le Cannet of a heart attack in August 1937.