Julien Feron (1864-1944) - Gentilly, le canal

\Artist: Julien Feron (1864-1944)
Technique: Oil on cardboard\Signature: Artist's stamp
Julien Feron (1864-1944) “Gentilly, le canal” Oil on cardboard Origin: from the artist's family. Painting in overall well-preserved condition. A sketch on the back. Certificate of authenticity issued by Mr. Thierry Tuffier, specialist of Julien Feron’s artwork. Carefully packed shipment with insurance. Shipment possible as of 20th August 2020. With family roots in Normandy, Julien Féron was born in 1864 in Saint-Jean du Cardonnay, Seine-Maritime. From a middle-class family, he studied engineering and, at the age of 23, married a 16-year-old girl whose parents were Alsatian refugees. As was the tradition in wealthy families, the father set his son up in business. He bought a business for him in Le Houlme. Julien Féron, who had no interest in business, paradoxically became the largest alcohol distributor in the entire Cailly Valley, operating within a radius of 150 km, making the best of a bad situation that proved very profitable for him. In 1898, at the age of 34, the day after the birth of his sixth child, Julien Féron began painting as a self-taught artist with an absolutely overwhelming desire to capture colours, a dominant feature of Julien Féron's work. He began going out in the countryside, alone with his easel, brushes, and palette. Around 1902-1903, he took the plunge. At his property in Le Houlme, he had a very spacious studio built, collecting everything related to painting. He spent his time travelling to and from Paris and Rouen for exhibitions. By chance, during one of his trips to Paris, he had the good fortune to meet the actor Dorival, member of the Comédie Française and a great collector. Curious by nature, Dorival came to Le Houlme. Struck by Féron's painting, he spoke of him to Armand Guillaumin. Through him, both men met in 1904. It was the beginning of a great friendship, mixed with respect, and for Féron a new awareness, a new development. Meeting Guillaumin was seminal to the painter's career.