Roland Dubuc, Strollers in Montmartre, 1960s, Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

Details

Description

Strollers in montmartre', oil on canvas, by roland dubuc (circa 1960s). A lively, impastoed street scene set on a sloping … Read more Strollers in montmartre', oil on canvas, by roland dubuc (circa 1960s). A lively, impastoed street scene set on a sloping montmartre lane — likely the famed rue lepic — populated with loosely rendered figures in silhouette strolling and gathering along the cobblestones. Whitewashed houses with dark-shuttered windows line the left side of the composition beneath dense canopies of vivid green foliage, while a rough stone retaining wall rises on the right, echoed by more sunlit trees above. The palette is rich and varied, contrasting the cool greys and warm whites of the architecture and pavement against saturated greens in the trees and touches of red and ochre in the figures and rooftops. Applied with a vigorous palette-knife technique that builds texture directly onto the canvas, the scene captures the picturesque, village-like charm of montmartre's historic hillside streets — the very neighbourhood where dubuc settled in 1950 and which became a lifelong subject for his work. The work is in good overall condition and has been newly framed with a linen slip. The artist's signature appears in the lower left hand. Dimensions with frame : h 65 cm / 25.6" w 76 cm / 29.9" dimensions without frame : h 54.5 cm / 21.5" w 65 cm / 25.6" about the artist: roland dubuc (1924–1998) was a french painter whose hard-won path to artistic success mirrors the resilience of his subject matter. The sixth of thirteen children born to a construction worker, financial hardship forced him to begin working at age 14. Living in extreme poverty, he moved to rouen, where he was housed by the salvation army and formed friendships with local artists who introduced him to drawing techniques. He continued to travel and study informally, meeting painters including fred pailhès along the way. In 1950, dubuc settled in montmartre, at the time living in a building without water or electricity, immersing himself in the neighbourhood that would define much of his later work. His career gained momentum following his participation in the "great and young artists fair" in paris, which brought gallery support. It wasn't until the mid-1970s, during a stay in switzerland, that he achieved financial stability. Upon returning to paris in the 1980s, his most devoted collector, jean-paul villain, opened a gallery dedicated to an important series of exhibitions of dubuc's work — exhibitions that secured his reputation as a serious, collectable artist with an international following. Dubuc died in his paris workshop in 1998. See less