Henri Le Sidaner (1862 Port Louis/Mauritius - 1939 Paris) "Après l'office". Original title In this early, impressionistically conceived major work, Le Sidaner depicted a poignant village scene from northern France, characterised by poetic melancholy. In it, a young, peasant brother and sister stand hand in hand in a cemetery next to a small, old church, while another figure, clad entirely in black, can be seen behind them. Le Sidaner studied for some time with Alexandre Cabanel at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1880, but gave up this academic training to settle in the coastal town of Étaples in the Pas de Calais in northern France in 1882. There he lived and worked in isolation for the next 12 years, painting the surrounding landscape and scenes of peasant life. In 1887, Le Sidaner made his debut at the Salon in Paris with "Après l'office", and from 1894 he also exhibited at the competing Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, returning to Paris in the same year. From 1899 he had an exclusive agreement with the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris (until its closure in 1931). Around 1901, Le Sidaner settled in the small village of Gerberoy in the department of Oise between Normandy and Picardy, where he built a house with a studio and garden and worked until the end of his life. It became his main subject, providing him with motifs and inspiration for almost forty years. As well as there and on his travels through France, Le Sidaner also painted in Venice, London and around Lake Maggiore in Italy. He enjoyed capturing fleeting light effects, painting scenes in bright sunshine, but also at dusk, in moonlight or even in artificial light. In 1906, an American critic wrote of Le Sidaner: "His artistic expression lies somewhere between that of Corot and Claude Monet". In 1910, the Galerie Georges Petit dedicated a retrospective to him, and a room was dedicated to his work at the Venice Biennale in 1914. In 1930, Le Sidaner was finally admitted to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, a triumph for a painter who had spent most of his career working outside the official art scene. Oil on canvas; signed and dated lower right. (18)87. Painting stamp by M. Chabod, Paris (before 1892) on verso. 88.5 cm x 113.5 cm. Probably original frame. Cf. cat. Salon des Artistes français, Paris 1887, no. 1504. A smaller version (46 x 55 cm), also dated (18)87, is listed in the catalogue raisonné of Yann Farinaux Le Sidaner ("Le Sidaner. L'oeuvre peint et gravé", Paris 1989, no. 11). Oil on canvas. Signed and dated (18)87. Artist's suppliers stamp by M. Chabod, Paris (prior 1892). Probably exhibited 1887 in Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. A second version is mentioned in the catalogue raisonné by Yann Farinaux Le Sidaner under no. 11.