Louis Émile Dardoize - Feu d'artifice aquatique du 14 juillet

Louis Émile Dardoize (1826–1901)

Fireworks on Bastille Day / Feu d'artifice aquatique du 14 juillet

1882

Signed and dated lower right

Pastel on paper

34.8 × 50 cm

Provenance:

Tajan, Dessins Anciens, 4 July 2002, lot 157;

Private collection, Paris.

Condition:

In very good condition.

Additional information:

In this pastel, Dardoize captures the festive atmosphere of the French national holiday. From the banks of a pond and from small boats, spectators watch a spectacular fireworks display illuminate the dark evening sky. The artist uses a monochromatic palette of greys. This makes the bright flashes of light and their reflections on the calm water stand out even more strongly.

Louis Émile Dardoize was a French landscape painter and draughtsman born in Paris. Largely self-taught, he made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1845 and continued to exhibit there regularly until 1895. In his early years, he worked as an illustrator for leading periodicals. He also founded a print publishing house, producing educational material for the study of perspective and landscape.

Dardoize travelled extensively throughout France and focused primarily on rural landscapes. He did not align himself with a particular artistic group or movement. His work is characterised by careful observation of nature and a strong sensitivity to light and atmosphere. He received medals at the Expositions Universelles of 1878 and 1889. He died in Paris in 1901.

His work is held in collections including the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Carcassonne and Dunkirk, the Musée Eugène Boudin in Honfleur, the Musée Francisque Mandet in Riom, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.