Edouard Athénosy (1859-1934)

Thereby, it explains the legitimacy of the small format he opts for after 1911, the year of the artist’s retirement. The time he spent on his art is no longer counted, by the age of 52 he can exercise matured freedom, far from obligations and painting professional facilities. His marginalization preserves him from being just a common people. His small pictures are the pages of a secret diary, a « writing from the heart » where communicate the secret of a fusional agreement with nature. In China,  men of letters from Yuan’s dynasty, like master Ni Zan, have painted similar landscapes free of any human presence. Their extreme sensitivity called for discretion and silence. Isn’t it the best way to penetrate Athénosy’s work, where the humble shape opens to infinity.