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Paul Chocarne-Moreau Paintings
Paul Chocarne-Moreau was born in Dijon, in the Burgundy region of France in 1855. Paul
Chocarne-Moreau studied at the Fine-Arts Academy in Paris under the direction of William Bouguereau and Tony
Robert-Fleury, both very famous artists who eventually became President of the Société des Artistes Français. A
very skilled portrait artist, he soon decided to depict mainly playful children, even though Paul Chocarne-Moreau
represented them mostly while at work, in the streets of Paris.
Indeed, with the birth of industrialized countries in Europe, the 19th Century saw a growing interest in the
working-class children and the hardship of their life, which was expressed through art and in litterature. Chocarne
Moreau used the children as the main theme of his paintings but, rather than representing the often sorrowful
nature of their life, he chose to treat the subject in a humorous and anecdotal manner.
Paul Chocarne-Moreau depicted children in their daily life, both at work and at play, telling lively stories through
his works and offering the viewer a chance to become a direct witness of the rivalries, games, threats, jokes and
joys the boys experience within their relationships. The black figure of a young chimney sweeper, the white apron
of a cook trainee, the dungaree of a little street vendor all illuminates his paintings, often backed by a wall of
colourful teared posters. One of his favorite was the young baker at work, or stealing some time off while
running some errands in the streets of Paris.
His palette is consistent in his choice of image and recalls similar color schemes. Paul Chocarne-Moreau offers
sensitivity while contributing to the expansion of the boundaries of genre painting. His amusing and often silly
anecdotes were giving a lighter mood and were a pleasing respite from a often serious period in the history of art.
He produced refreshing works which encountered a real success within a large public .
From 1882, he exhibited regularly at The Salon (“Au plus adroit”, 1905; “Mi-carême”, 1907;”Heureuse rencontre”,
1908; “Sur la barricade”, 1909; “Saute-mouton”, 1911; “Libre échange”, 1913…). He received an Honorable
Mention in 1886, (“Before the Salon”), and a Bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in 1889.
Museums & Gallery Holdings
Paris, Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée,
Archives nationales, RMN.
Ajaccio, Palais Fesch, musée des Beaux-Arts.
Dijon, Lyon, Rennes , (musées des Beaux-Arts)
Moulins, Musée Anne de Beaujeu.
Paul Chocarne-Moreau Paintings
