George Pierre Guinegault, Quai de la Tournelle

George Pierre Guinegault

(Rennes 1893 - ? Paris)

French painter and printmaker

Little is known or to be found about this forgotten and obscured French artist. The old (un)loading crane and the location of this Paris aquatint print is what arose my interest in this obscured printmaker. 

It's showing the Notre Dame Cathedrale, the Quai de la Tournelle named after one of the 4 huge main towers (there were in all 50) in the 12th century citywall garding the rivers entrance) and the Pont de l'Archevêché spanning river Seine. One of the 15 bridges connecting the two Islands in River Seine: Île de la Cité and Île Saint Louis. Where legend says Julius Ceasar stood eye to eye with Vergincetorix head of French tribes. It's the very heart of Paris, of France and of French history.

There are uncountable paintings and prints made by uncountable artists of Quai de la Tournelle and the many others quais along river Seine so vital to the cities existence. Frantisek Simon's renderings (above) of this particular quay (1909) are coming closest to  Guinegaults print. The overhanging branches and seadpods of the plane trees (Platanus, Siccamore), so very caracteristic for the silhouette of Paris' streets and riverbanks. Simon (who had a studio and lived in Paris 1904-1914 created many prints of this particular corner of Paris. And see: the little crane's ! It's there. 

Above, at street level, where the famous Seine book stalls are and below where all goods and foods for a Metropolis and a population of millions were delivered by boat and distributed to shops and citizens, "en route" to the greatest covered food-market place in the world: les Halles. 
German printmaker Siegfried Berndt (1889-1946) sat here too. Compare what great atmosphere he created with a dash of color and a strong keyblock.

Guinegault created maybe his finest aquatint print of this most famous Paris landmark of Victorian grandeur and Gargantuan dimensions. Nicknamed "the belly of Paris", and immortalised by french icon and photographer Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) in 1953 before being demolished in the 1970's. It's now a park.  

But before moving to an arm chair trip along the Quay's of Paris seen by famous and less famous artists here's what I've discovered about George Pierre Guinegault. Giving him a chapter and entry in internet history.

Besides these two other aquatint prints, "la Bourse" (with Renault car) and a Paris night impression Guinegault has left some rather nice impressionist paintings of his native Brittany.

According to the pictures, combined with the knowledge found in an eulegy of his son and also artist Jean Pierre Guinegault (Paris 1918-2009) his father very much liked to paint models.

These nudes occasionally show up in auctions and although they could be called "boudoir art", and not entirely to my taste, they usually sell at considerable prices. 

And I've found this set of 4 Arabic Impression pochoir prints.

To honour father and son Guinecault here's my choice of Jean Pierre's legacy: "Buying bananas in Paris".

Next: an unexpected city tour along Quai de la Tournelle as seen and depicted by various artists.

I love Paris: 1950

Jan den Hengst

(1904-1983)

Jan Korthals

(1916-1972

Jan Rijlaarsdam

(1911-2008)

3 Dutch painters in Paris in the 1950's 

3 x Jan den Hengst, Montmartre, Paris

Three men, three painters, sharing their first name and who knew each other well, were friends even. They painted in Amsterdam. The canals, boats, bridges and busy street and city life. And all three went to Paris. They were great water color painters and great illustrators. Obscured and mostly forgotten now. Post impressionist painters would apply and fit on all three. 

4 x Jan Korthals, Paris 

Looking closely these men must have learned from each other. Stimulating, the  one professionally trained and the other self-taught like Jan den Hengst who ran a flower stall in his native Delft. They shared, choose and sat at the same pictoresque and famous spots in Montmartre under Sacre Coeur and along the river Seine. 

Vincent van Gogh,  view over Paris  from his room at Rue Lepic.

Were Vincent van Gogh had a boarding room in Rue Lepic (above and first picture). Most famous impressionist painters started their fame living in and painting Montmartre . 

3 x Jan Rijlaarsdam

I've just stumbled over some old water color (calender) reproductions and  discovered this wonderful bright, colorful and happy style shared by these three men. Very much the bright pictures and illustrations of my youth.

These men, friends, didn't meet one of my favorite painters and also addicted to Paris artist, but stood in the foot steps of American Impressionist, Frank Meyer Boggs (1855-1926) who decided  not  to leave France and Paris after studying with Jean Leon Gérome (1824-1905). He painted Montmartre and every quay along River Seine in the most Impressionistic way.

Frank Meyers Boggs and his son Frank Will (Boggs) (1900-1950), who like his father painted the Moulin Rouge (above) and their Paris Views will be continued in a future posting in the Linosaurus.
Jean Louis Gérome who initially opposed Impressionism, and needless to say lost, to me is best loved for his Roman Slave Market paintings and this great Pygmaleon and Galathea. And of course no less for the stunningly beautiful model embodying three thousand years of female aesthetics. Just Google: Gerome + Batsheba and you'll have a peek along with King David at his wife taking a bath. I can understand J.L. Gérome didn't need impressionism to say what he had to say.

NOID Goldberg, Gastberg

?? Goldberg, Gastburg, Garburg ??

Again I ask readers helping with identifying an unknown German printmaker by his prints and by his signature. Very recently I was asked if I knew who could have done this Tigers etching. I didn't. But knew I'd seen the signature before.

Please send your (any) suggestions or solutions (see the email adress in the contact button)

John Hall Thorpe & Adam Bunsch

I JOHN HALL THORPE

Today a quick post on some recent emails by Blogreaders that might be of interest to readers. Fundamentaly I avoid any commercial activities and interests by third parties in the Linosaurus. Today for the first time breaking my house rules in the collecting interest of my readers.

Postings on John Hall Thorpe's flower prints* are by far the most and frequently visited in the Linosaurus. For those interested in finding and buying a JHT print: here's an adress that came to me today in the comments section of the original posting: http://www.barhammoneyfineart.co.uk/ 
There are this (above) rare "Fruits and Flowers" and 2 other JHT flower prints (search by artist) for sale, and the pricing ? Just see, consider and decide for your self.

II ADAM BUNSCH (link) 

Adam Bunsch, grandson of polish artist and printmaker Adam Bunsch (1896-1969) I revealed to you earlier, has informed me of his Website (under developpement and construction) on his grandfathers artistic legacy. Here's a great new print by Adam Bunsch borrowed from the site. It would be interesting to compare and analyze it with other prints by the various artists who dared at creating peacock prints and the Link to Adam Jr.'s website": www.adambunsch.pl 

Jan Visser and Fok Spies

Two days ago Folkert Matthijs (Fok) Spies passed away. This small posting in memory to his well spend life on earth.

A few weeks ago I discovered this 1916 woodblock by not very known Dutch artist and mainly remembered as a painter Jan Visser (Groningen, 1856-1936) It's numbered: No.3. I don't know if he created more woodblock prints. I certainly have never come across any but I've found some examples of other work that I will show you in due time. Any way, I like this print very much and I think it is, considering it is 1916 and Dutch, pretty unique and very original. I have been to the sea in a rumbling cart, my granddad and my parents have, my sons have and my grand daughters.  

Funny how things seem to happen simultaniously, going through old family photo's just today, writing an obituary. Or is it serendipity?

Fok Spies reached the blessed age of 85, of which forty as my father-in-law. Besides he was truly a friend. He lived life according to his motto: Live your life in soberness but let it be rich in feasts, celebrating each and every day and each and every opportunity. 

Here are his first (in the rumbling cart) and his last portrait. Amazing to see how the old man is already visible in the child. And how the child, after a life time, is still visible in the old man. In between these pictures he was a toddler, a schoolboy, a student, a husband, a schoolteacher, father of five, grandfather of ten and great grandfather of 6. He visited most of Europe's countries from the North Cape to Izmir, from Leningrad to Barcelona. In a tent and later in his old and battered campervan. A true roll model to the Art of Living. 

Shortly before he died he left me these two pencil drawings by an artist who was an amateur. S. Kraay is he all knew and it is all I know. The artist a friend and colleague of his elder brother who died before him. 

It is showing the old Church in the village of Soest. Along: the old Church road (Kerkepad), where just a few hunderd meters from the church he and his brother were born in the 1920's as the sons of the local police constable. Where as children they played. Where he will have walked every day of his childhood to school. Where he will be burried in the family grave. Beginning and ending. I found an older painting of the same spot, probably of the same  renovated and repaired over the years dwellings that have long since disappeared. 

The wind mill, I don't know, but I quess it's Soest or somewhere nearby too, although I couldn't match it with existing 2 wind mills in the village. Maybe a Dutch reader one day will recognize the artist S. Kraay and the location. I like them very much. To this day my thoroughly analog father-in- law had left no footprints in the Internet. Today I left these. 

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Added information july 6th and proof of the tremendous powers of the Internet: Artist S. Kraaij was identified by an observing reader as Stephanus Kraaij born 1904 in Echteld. He was a trained artist who was living 1940-1950 in Soest. Echteld (only 35 km away) is also the genealogical homestead of the Spies family since 1650 when an immigrant from the Pfalz (a German province) was first recorded in the village.