Jules Émile Élisée Maclet 1881-1962 French School. Oil on canvas. Southern French Landscape. Circa. 1930. 71.5 by 58 cms. Image 89 by 76.5 cms. Overall in gilt gesso frame. Oil on canvas, general craquelure, frame has some minor losses to gilding.
Maclet was a French Post Impressionist artist predominantly known for his depictions of Parisian streets and Southern French Landscapes. Born on April 12, 1881 in Lyons-en-Santerre. Maclet worked with his father as a gardener during his youth, and was taught the basics of painting by the local parish priest. Despite his father’s misgivings, Maclet moved to Paris in 1906 to pursue a career as an artist. Living in the neighborhood of Montmarte, he supported himself through odd jobs, including decorating props for the Moulin Rouge and painting dolls. Following World War I, Maclet received an increasing amount of recognition for his depictions of Paris, and in 1923, he earned the patronage of a wealthy Austrian manufacturer, Baron von Fray. Von Fray went on to fund he artist’s painting expeditions through the South of France in the years that followed. Maclet returned to Paris in 1932, where he continued to produce work despite suffering from mental illness. The artist died on August 23, 1962 in Paris, France.