Bertrand Py

About the Painting

This post-impressionist landscape oil painting depicts an old farm in Brittany, painted around 1930. The composition captures the rural character of the Breton countryside with its distinctive architecture and agricultural landscape. The work demonstrates Py's characteristic approach to landscape painting, combining post-impressionist color sensibility with neo-realist attention to structural form.

The painting reflects Py's deep engagement with the French landscape tradition and his ability to balance atmospheric effects with solid compositional structure. His study of Old Masters at the Louvre—particularly Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Vermeer—informed his understanding of light, tone, and spatial relationships, which he adapted to modern landscape subjects.

Signed in the lower left corner, this oil on canvas remains in very good condition and is housed in its original frame. The work represents Py's mature style during the interwar period, when he was an active member of the Salon d'Automne.

About the Artist

Yves Pierre Bertrand Py (1895-1973) was a French painter known for his portraits, landscapes, and still lifes that combined neo-realism with post-impressionist influences. Born on March 20, 1895, in Belfort, Cher, Py initially pursued classical studies before his passion for drawing and painting led him to abandon formal education and focus entirely on art.

Determined to pursue an artistic career, Py falsified his age to gain early entry into the prestigious National School of Fine Arts (École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts) in Paris. There he developed his technical skills and began his lifelong practice of studying the Old Masters at the Louvre Museum, making sketches and copies of works by Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Vermeer.

This rigorous self-education resulted in a unique style that blended neo-realism with post-impressionist color and brushwork. Influenced by both French and British art movements of the early 20th century, Py developed a particular affinity for portraiture, landscape, and still life subjects.

Py began exhibiting his work at age 25 at the Salon of French Artists (Salon des Artistes Français) and in 1929 became a member of the Salon d'Automne, one of Paris's most important artistic societies. His membership in the Salon d'Automne placed him among the leading artists of his generation and provided regular exhibition opportunities throughout his career.

Bertrand Py died on October 2, 1973, in Bry-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne, leaving behind a body of work that documents French life and landscape during the mid-20th century with technical skill and artistic sensitivity.

Technical Details

Artist: Bertrand Py (1895-1973)
Signed: Lower left corner
Date: c.1930
Medium: Oil on canvas
Condition: Very good condition
Dimensions: 38 x 55 cm / 15 x 21½ in
Frame: 45 x 62 cm / 17¾ x 24½ in, very good condition
Origin: France

A Breton landscape by a Salon d'Automne member trained at the École des Beaux-Arts.