Old Painting Oil on Panel School of Barbizon Normandy Horse Lecourt

  

Hello, I am selling this painting with a height of 36 cm and a width of 55 cm. A few internet searches, which notably allow one to find a biography of the aforementioned Lecourt on Wikipedia, quite interesting, are enough to confirm that this is indeed a work by this artist, especially given the striking resemblance of the horses in this work to those in other works, signed with the same handwriting that is also very similar to that on my painting.

This Norman painter, who was a student of Léon Bonnat and Charles Lhuillier, eminent artists of the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century for Bonnat, who had a particularly long life for the time as he died at nearly 90 years old, was and is recognized for his compositions that prominently feature horses, whether in motion or not, and cows, capable of giving a powerful artistic intensity to scenes of exhausting work which he made the main component of his style, and on which we will have the opportunity to come back to.

The painting in question represents a moment of plowing, a continuous labor that sees men and animals united, bent, contorted, pulling various agricultural equipment, through an impressive line of figures and movements, represented, like everything else, in realistic and abstract appearances. This stylistic paradox is largely responsible for the unique character of the work, but it is even more the central procession that manages to turn an awfully banal and laborious harvest moment into one of intensity. The horses' heads have much more detailed features than the human heads, totally devoid of expressions; they are almost more human than the real ones if the bodies on which they rest were not articulated! Economy of brushstrokes, a subliminal message that suggests that when man is pushed to the depths of exhaustion in a mechanical and exhausting task (the horses no doubt exhausted less due to their superior physical abilities) he loses his humanity... The mystery is whole and quite intriguing.

Also note the fantastic rendering of the sky, with atmospheric and therefore colored tones, just as intense as below, a source of very beautiful lighting effects, both through the clouds and the characters, the colors covering the composition, unusual and almost tortured here and there, perhaps also to translate the general exhaustion that emanates from the procession, or the beautiful depth effect of the painting, which sinks far into the forests in the background. The composition, despite various signs of wear here and there, in the form of small superficial flaws, a few small points and small holes, light traces, a multitude of small cracks, inherent to the passage of time, and two vertical cracks less than 1 mm wide, one towards the middle, more discreet than the other, towards the right edge (they are also visible on the back of the panel but they do not present any risks of worsening if the support is handled correctly) is in a good overall state of preservation and fully retains its captivating power.

The cracks become more discreet from about 3 meters away; they are also likely, whatever the distance, to be even more discreet depending on the light in the room and the viewing angle (an example with the fourth photo), or on the contrary much less; so it will be up to you to choose the most appropriate location if you want an optimum result. The panel is not perfectly flat, but this is quite discreet. The photos were taken under skylights created by my roof windows, on a relatively sunny afternoon. After many tests, I realized that the colors in the first four photos after the first one, with the equipment I have, are the ones that most faithfully reproduce, regardless of the distance, what can be observed in conditions that most people could consider "normal", namely those that would offer a good compromise between sufficient light source and nuanced colors without excess. However, note that computer screens or mobile phones other than mine, and depending on their brightness and contrast, may more or less modify the results I have achieved.

With these elements in mind, you can still consider my photos as sufficiently representative sources of reality, in observation conditions similar to those described earlier. Notice to collectors, to people attracted by vintage items, curiosities, decorative objects, or simply admiring their intrinsic beauty! It's a great gift idea.

The shipment will be made with seriousness, unless you prefer hand delivery, which is entirely possible if you make the trip.

In order for this to be taken into account, it is imperative, if the box is damaged enough (it is up to you to determine this upon inspection) at any point, and/or opened, even partially, that you ask the delivery person to indicate reservations, if it is a shipment with the Post Office, or that you refuse the package to the personnel at the relay point, if it is a shipment with Mondial Relay, UNLESS, you must then ask them, you have the possibility to note reservations with the scanning device of the shipping labels - then you can receive the package later - before they scan the shipping label or perform any other operation confirming that you have received the package; in other words, make sure to check the condition of the box, not missing any spot, in these two cases before they act. Regarding Mondial Relay, in the event that your refusal of receipt is formulated, the package will be kept by the relay point in order to be returned to the inspection service, for a verification aiming to report the responsibility of the delivery persons and to make the insurance effective (information gleaned from their site) in case the item is damaged. As for the Post Office, if the delivery is made in your mailbox because the dimensions of the package allow it, without hand delivery, and the box is damaged enough (a nuance that you have to determine), you must return it to the nearest post office to your home without opening it, asking the counter staff to return the package to me (information gathered from their site), also in anticipation of a check by the delivery service, UNLESS, as with Mondial Relay, the staff at the post office can indicate reservations.

In all cases, do not hesitate to take photos of the damaged and/or opened box. You may think, for any reason, that the item inside the box remains in perfect condition, despite the damaged package, enough (it is up to you to determine this upon inspection), and/or opened, even partially, and therefore do not ask to make reservations, or accept the package if making reservations is not possible; but know that this is like playing Russian roulette since the delivery services count on the margin of error, which by the way suits them fine since, I repeat, the insurance is then no longer effective due to the sacred transfer of responsibility from the delivery person to the sender or the recipient; less expenses for them since they will not have to pay the insurance amount! And do not count on shaking the package to determine if the item is broken; unless it is made of glass or ceramic, the sound of breakage is imperceptible, or it could be a protective element in the package.

Make sure to communicate all these elements in case a third party is picking up the package on your behalf. If, on the other hand, the condition of the returned item is different from what it was when I sent it, but there is no proof to determine that the delivery persons are responsible, then there will be no refund, for the reason that even with excellent packaging, it can happen that not only the shocks during transport are extremely important and that in addition this is done without external damage, that is, on the box. Things that might not have happened during the initial shipment, and that might have been avoided if the buyer had picked up the package and therefore prevented a second transport, theoretically involving twice as many risks for the item. If you have any questions or would like more photos, do not hesitate to let me know.

PS: I am also selling this painting on another site, starting with l and ending with n, at a reduced price, which is not negligible, considering the absence of sales fees.

To find it, type the title of this ad in the search bar on the other site.