River landscape with a town on the background was executed in the style of the Barbisone school by Camille Flers ( 1802 Paris - 1868 Annet-sur-Marne) famous French landscape painter, actor and dancer. Camille Flers was the son of Jean Charles Flers and his wife Marie Thérèse Bloufflerd, who came from Annet-sur-Marne. His father worked in a porcelain factory.

He gained his first artistic experience in the atelier of the porcelain decorator Demarcy. He received his further education by the theatre painter Cicéri. Flers decided, however, to become an actor, and went to Brazil in the year 1821. There he was after some others trying to make money at the Imperial Theater in Rio de Janeiro dancers.

Later he returned to France and married on 11 November 1826 Louise Adele Clauss, a daughter of porcelain manufacturer Jean Marx Claus and his wife Odille Seeger. Returned to Paris, he resumed his studies with Joseph François Pâris. He then moved to Belleville. He was one of the early plein-air painters and created realistic landscape images. Flers was now a student. 1831 joined Louis Cabat in his studio. In the same year, Flers exhibited for the first time in the salon. His painting "Cascade de Pissevache " was popular, and until 1863 he participated regularly in other exhibitions in the Salon. 1849 he became Knight of the Legion of Honor.In his later years, Flers, who is regarded as one of the refresher of the French landscape painting of his generation, painted especially in the surroundings of Aumale in Normandy, in addition to his and Marne and in the area of Fontainebleau.

Pictures of his hand were in the Louvre as well as in museums in Le Puy, Chalon-sur-Saône, Orléans, Béziers and the Musée Wicar in Lille.For the use of pastel painting in landscape representations, he published 1846 an essay in the magazine L ´ artiste.

Literature: Thieme/Becker"Dictionary of artists from antique to present(in german)", Lepzig, 1999; in French: "Dictionary of painters, sculptos and decorators" by E.Benezit, Gründ,1999; in on-line: Wikipedia in English, French and German with many images.

Inscription: signed lower left (under figures), original  plaque mounted to the original frame.

Technique: oil on wood panel. Splendid original period gold-plated frame.

Measurements: unframed w 13 1/4" x h 10 5/8" (33,5 x 27 cm); framed w 20 1/4" x h 18 1/2" (51,5 x 47 cm).

Condition: in very good cleaned condition.