Gregoire Michonze

The family of the artist

Original canvas. There is a light layer of surface dirt. The varnish has slightly discoloured. There is a curved S shaped line, which appears to have been retouched, running through the horse's neck in the middle of the composition. UV light reveals areas of retouching to the sky, an area to the right of the guitar, which corresponds to a patch on the reverse of the canvas, with further small areas elsewhere. A thick layer of varnish prevents further investigation. Held in wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
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Having arrived in Paris in 1922, Michonze quickly became accepted into the Surrealists’ circle, as well as befriending the American writer Henry Miller who commended him for his unique style. Termed by the artist ‘Surrealist Naturalism’, it featured depictions of the natural world and village life tinged by an uncanny air. The present work was painted in 1935 and was probably inspired by the surroundings of St Paul-de-Vence, where the artist had been living in the early 1930s. Reminiscent of Brueghel, this imaginary scene juxtaposes characters both familiar and surreal, lending an extraordinary air to an otherwise ordinary village.