Gabriel Spat (1890 - 1967)
The boulevard
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Gallery
Espace 1130 - Cosner Gallery | Art dealers
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Medium
Oil on board
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Time
Post-War Canadian art
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Dimensions
58,4 x 49,5 cm | 23'' x 19,5''
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Dimensions with frame
73,6 x 64 cm | 29'' x 25,25''
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Signed
Signed lower right, titled on verso
In this light-filled Parisian scene, Gabriel Spat sensitively portrays the bustle of a boulevard in front of the legendary cabaret, the Folies Bergère. True to his late Impressionist style, the artist employs a free and vibrant brushstroke to capture the movement of the crowd, the interplay of light, and the atmosphere of Belle Époque Paris.
A police officer in the foreground stands in contrast to the diffused hustle of the street. Horse-drawn carriages pass by as elegantly dressed pedestrians cross paths near the shaded entrance of the theater. The large central tree, with foliage rendered in small, colorful strokes, acts as a compositional anchor, softening the surrounding architectural lines.
Gabriel Spat, a Russian-born painter and sculptor who became a naturalized French citizen, is known for his intimate portrayals of Parisian life, always bathed in soft light and a hushed ambiance. Here, he captures an emblematic moment of the capital: the cultural and social vibrancy of a thriving neighborhood at the dawn of the 20th century. Through the delicacy of his palette and the liveliness of the scene, this work reflects the poetic gaze the artist cast upon the city, while placing him firmly within the tradition of painters of urban modernity.