'Still Life with Bottle and Figs' by Pierre Fournel (1968)

'Still Life with Bottle and Figs', oil on canvas (1968) by French artist, Pierre Fournel. Lusciously painted, a sensuously long translucent bottle sits before a white dish of very ripe figs. The composition is sectioned with different background shades of grey; one is infused with blue, the other a lighter hue and the third with yellow. Its beauty is found in its elegant simplicity. There is texture as well as visual grace. The paint rests on the canvas like the folds in air-dried clothing. It is so of its 1960s-era and therein lies its authentic vintage beauty. The artwork is in very good vintage condition commensurate with age. In original frame with linen slip. Signed: 'Pierre Fournel 68'. A short video of the artwork can be provided upon request. 

About the Artist: Pierre Fournel (b. 1924). Born in Rodez, in the South of France, in a family of craftsmen embroiderers, Pierre Fournel started drawing early on in his childhood. After studying at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he was appointed professor of art in Montpellier in 1950. His enduring works depicted the villages and landscapes to which he was attached. His later art, starting from the 1970s, saw the introduction of external elements such as crumpled paper, sand and earth seeking to integrate those materials to obtain the impression of timeless erosion; perhaps a statement on the endurance of nature over the fleeting passage of human existence on earth. 

Fournel's artworks periodically go on sale in some of the major international auction houses. 

Dimensions with frame:

H 72 cm / 28.3"

W 55 cm / 21.7"

Dimensions without frame:

H 53 cm / 20.9"

W 36.5 cm / 14.4"