Pierre PIGNOLAT (1838-1913), 'Village en été', oil on canvas, signed lower right. H. 40 x 55 cm Landscape painter and teacher at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva. A pupil of Barthélémy Menn at the Geneva School of Fine Arts, Pierre Pignolat distinguished himself as a master of intimate landscapes. Appointed professor of figure painting in 1880, he trained a generation of Geneva painters, including Maurice Barraud and Édouard Vallet. Inspired by the Barbizon School and Jean-Baptiste Corot, he moved towards a lighter palette, influenced by the Impressionists, while developing a personal method combining light and poetry. His landscapes, often painted in charcoal, are appreciated for their richness of nuance and their characteristic "velvetiness", while retaining a solid composition. His works are held in Swiss museums such as the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in Geneva and the Museum Oskar Reinhart in Winterthur. Pignolat is recognised as one of the best landscape artists of the Geneva School. Condition: Lack of material Provenance: Dobiaschovsky Sale Dobiaschovsky A97 lot 391305 of 7 November 2003 Reference: E. Benezit, vol. 8, p. 331