Jean GEOFFROY, known as GÉO (Marennes, 1853 - Paris, 1924) The return from the picnic Oil on canvas (Original canvas) Signed 'Geo.' lower left Canvas from the Blanchet house Come back from the picnic, oil on canvas, signed, by J. Geoffroy, called Géo 15.55 x 21.85 in. 39.5 x 55.5 cm Provenance: Anonymous sale; Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Ader-Picard-Tajan, 18 October 1989, no. 95 ; Private collection, Ile-de-France Young Jean Geoffroy moved to Paris to become a painter, but by chance he ended up staying with a couple of schoolteachers. They introduced him to the world of school and childhood, a world he would never leave. His meeting with Pierre-Jules Hetzel confirmed his vocation, with the famous publisher entrusting him, alongside other artists such as Gavarni, Granville and Gustave Doré, with the illustrations for his children's books. In addition to his work as an illustrator, the painter who soon became known as Géo also enjoyed a successful career. He exhibited at the Salon from 1874 until his death, and his submissions were always very favourably received by critics and the public. The two paintings we are presenting are wonderful examples of our artist's work. Showing young children with pretty, round, rosy cheeks, returning from a picnic or strolling in the snow, they testify to our painter's incomparable talent for capturing their sweet, innocent emotions. They further confirm Géo's undisputed status as the greatest "painter of childhood". Jean GEOFFROY, known as GÉO (Marennes, 1853 - Paris, 1924) 39.5 x 55.5 cm