Alfred Guillou (12 September 1844, Concarneau - 1926, Concarneau) was a French painter of Breton heritage.

Biography

His father was a fisherman and farmer who served as mayor of Concarneau for fifteen years.Museum of Pont Aven: Exhibition notes with biography.
(Cached) He received his first art lessons from the lithographer Théodore Le Monnier (1815–1888), who was visiting Concarneau. On his advice, Guillou moved to Paris in 1862, where he attended the

Académie Suisse The Académie Suisse was a very popular, informal, art school founded by Martin François Suisse (1781–1859)From Filae.com, 23 juin 2021 Source: Registres journaliers d'inhumation des cimetières parisiens Les documents d'origine sont consult ...

for a short time, then found a position in the workshop of

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...

. While there, he met

Jules Bastien-Lepage Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884) was a French painter closely associated with the beginning of naturalism, an artistic style that emerged from the later phase of the Realist movement. His most famous work is his lan ...

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and

Théophile Deyrolle Théophile-Louis Deyrolle (16 December 1844, Paris - 14 December 1923, Concarneau) was a French painter, illustrator and ceramicist. Biography He came from a family of entomologists and naturalists who owned a well-known taxidermy shop in Pa ...

, who he convinced to give up architecture and join him at Cabanel's. He debuted at the Salon in 1868 with his ''Young Breton Fisherman''. Three years later, he and his friend Deyrolle left Paris for Concarneau, with nothing more than they could carry on their backs. The following year, Deyrolle married Guillou's sister Suzanne (1846-1933), who was also a painter. Together, they created the Concarneau Art Colony, which benefitted from its proximity to

Pont-Aven Pont-Aven (, Breton: 'River Bridge') is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 2,821. Demographics Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called ''Pontavenistes'' in French ...

, where

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and his followers congregated. He also exhibited works at both the 1889 and 1900 Universal Exhibitions in Paris where he received silver medals. After his marriage to the daughter of the engraver Joseph Gabriel Tourny (1817–1880), he maintained a home in

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, but spent as much time as possible in his hometown. Following his father's death in 1887, he built a home and workshop there, became involved in local politics and joined the board of the Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper. Over the years, the Colony attracted many artists who were either interested in maritime subjects or wanted to achieve a sort of primitivism; represented for them by the traditions of the Breton people, which had survived mostly intact from an earlier period. Among the better-known artists who spent time there were

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, Charles Cottet, Jules Bastien-Lepage, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, Amélie Lundahl,

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and T. Alexander Harrison.

Some of Guillou's works

* "Le dernier marin du "Vengeur"". This Guillou painting was purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1881. * "Arrivée du pardon de Sainte-Anne de Fouesnant, Concarneau". This Guillou painting was purchased by the French state from the Paris Salon of 1887. A photograph of the painting can be seen in the gallery below. * "Bretonne portant du goémon" or "Ramasseuse de goémon". This painting dates to 1890 and is held by the Musée de Jacobins in

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overha ...

. A preliminary sketch can be seen in the Paris Musée du Louvre département des Arts graphiques. * " Arrivée des Pecheurs de Sardines". Painting can be seen in Saint-Brieuc's Musée d'art et d'histoire des Côtes-d'Armor. * "Debarquement du Thon à Concarneau". This painting can be seen in theSaint-Brieuc Musée d'art et d'histoire des Côtes-d'Armor. * "Au devant de son Père". This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1897. * "La première Visite aux Grands-Parents". This painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1910. * "Jeune marin tenant dans ses bras un énorme poisson". This pencil sketch is held by the Paris Musée du Louvre département des Arts graphique.

Selected paintings

File:Alfred Guillou - Fille paysanne.jpg, ''Street Musician'' File:Alfred Guillou - Arrivée du pardon de sainte Anne de Fouesnant à Concarneau - 1887.jpg, ''Arrival of the Pardon of Sainte Anne at Concarneau'' (Quimper Musée des Beaux-arts) File:Alfred Guillou - The mussel gatherer.jpg, ''The Mussel Gatherer'' File:Alfred Guillou, 1844-1926, à l'abri de la Tempête ou Entre marins,circa 1890,94x75,5cm,Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper.jpg, ''Sheltered from the Storm'' (Quimper Musée des Beaux-arts) File:Alfred Guillou La ramasseuse de goémon.jpg, ''The Kelp Picker''

References

External links

The Concarneau Art Colony.
From ''Rural Artists' Colonies in Europe, 1870–1910'', by Nina Lübbren @ Google Books

Brief biography of Guillou with more paintings, including a portrait of him by Théophile Deyrolle.
ArtNet: More works by Guillou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guillou, Alfred 1844 births 1926 deaths Breton artists 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 19th-century French male artists