Code: 6084
Dimensions:
A beautiful large mid 20th century French naive oil on canvas depicting the Bénédiction de la Mer at Hoëdic, Brittany, by Charles Pincon-Maricourt.
The Benediction of the Sea (Bénédiction de la Mer) in Brittany is a deeply rooted maritime tradition where local priests bless the ocean, fishing fleets, and remember sailors lost at sea. Held annually on or around the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, the ceremonies take place in the Bay of Quiberon, with congregations from both Hoëdic and Houat taking part.
Following church services on both islands, parishioners and clergy board boats and the fleets from the two islands sail out and meet at a designated offshore point known as Mein Groaz.
The work is signed lower left and inscribed with title and date on the reverse, along with Paris winners medal label. Presented in a painted wood frame.
Artist: Charles Pincon-Maricourt (French, 1902-1973)
Title: Hoëdic, Bénédiction de la Mer
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 25.5 x 30 inches (64.5 x 76 cm) including the frame
Charles Pincon-Maricourt was a true French naif painter of the 20th century. A magistrate who became a Justice of the Peace in Mantes la-Joli, then mayor of Guerville, both places in Seine-et-Ouse.
He came from a large family and had to start work early in life because of his father's premature death. It was his mother, nee Virginie Maricourt, a cultivated and sensitive woman, who taught him to love nature in all its simplicity.
He remembered his mother when he later began to paint, always using the same motif, in snow or in wind, and this is probably why his snowscapes, for instance, are like childhood dreams realized late in life.
The honesty and sincerity of his work was soon rewarded - he received decorations and honors from several public organisations, including the silver medal of Paris.
Exhibitions
Galerie Montparnasse 27, Paris 1961
Galerie le Parnasse, Paris 1964 (catalogue preface by Anatole Jakovsky)
