Joseph Ferdinand GUELDRY (Paris, 1858 - Lausanne, 1945) Two men and two women on a boat preparing to cross a river Oil on canvas (Original canvas) Signed 'J.F. Gueldry-' lower left Two men and two women in a boat crossing a river, oil on canvas, by J. F. Gueldry 51.37 x 43.11 in. 130.5 x 109.5 cm Provenance: Private collection in the South of France Joseph Ferdinand Gueldry was one of those artists for whom the river activities in vogue at the end of the 19th century were an important source of inspiration. For the people of Paris at that time, it was time to reclaim the water and discover new leisure activities. The surrounding rivers became accessible and water sports activities developed considerably, with the whole of Paris taking up rowing and sailing. Naturally, at a time when plein air painting was flourishing, painters found new territories to explore and a new, abundant source of inspiration in these lively shores. Whether they were Impressionists, with Gustave Caillebotte at the forefront, or Post-Impressionists with Georges Seurat, or even academics like our own Joseph Ferdinand Gueldry, they all explored, described and told the stories of these banks, which were extraordinary places to live for some, or a pretext for social gatherings of all kinds for others. A founding member of the Société Nautique de la Marne and a great rowing enthusiast, this student of Jean-Léon Gérôme seized on these activities to make them the favourite theme of his work. Although the framing is reminiscent of the work of the aforementioned Caillebotte, our artist remained faithful to his master's teaching, and made it a point of honour to respect in his compositions all the details associated with canoeing, the very scrupulously depicted figures and the almost topographical landscape. Our painting is a wonderful example of Gueldry's work, but also formal proof that plein air painting was not the preserve of the 'moderns', and that the best academic artists also dared to try their hand at it. The painting in the 1883 Salon was cut vertically, so that the original composition was split into two separate paintings reworked by Ferdinand Gueldry. The left-hand side is in a Dutch private collection. On the right-hand side, the artist added his signature and new elements that were not present in the work exhibited at the Salon. The background is animated with boats and figures, and the artist has represented the stem of a pipe in the hand of the figure furthest to the left. We would like to thank Patrick Coinet for the valuable information he provided and for kindly confirming the authenticity of this work. It will appear in the catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.