'Gardians with Horses in the Camargue' by Yves Brayer (circa 1950s)

'Gardians with Horses in the Camargue', gouache on art paper, by Yves Brayer (circa 1950s). A luminous artwork capturing the spirit of the Camargue — that vast, wild delta of the Rhône that so captivated the artist, Yves Brayer, after the Second World War. Two white horses stand in the foreground, a chestnut foal at their side, as one figure tends to them while managing to flirt with a young lady under a sweeping, storm-lit sky. In the middle distance, a lone rider moves through the green marshland with a further horse in tow. Although there are many horses that still run free in the Camargue, there are cowboys like the two men in the depiction, with their rugged faces bronzed by the sun, called gardians, who ride the white horses on the beaches and herd black cattle, while flamingos wade in the shallow marshy waters. Dating back to the early 16th century, the gardians are a professional order of cowboys who protect and care for the herds of horses and black bulls that roam around the region. They're one of the oldest groups of cowboys in the world and arguably, the ancestors of the first American cowboys. Back in the 1600s, these gardians sailed to New Orleans, where they rode through the bayous of Louisiana and Texas, rounding up the cattle. 

The artwork is in good overall condition and has been newly framed and glazed with anti-reflective glass. It is signed by the artist in the lower left hand. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request, a video will be provided.

Dimensions with Frame:

H 60 cm / 23.6"

W 72.5 cm / 28.5"

Dimensions without Frame:

H 39.5 cm / 15.6"

W 52 cm / 20.5"