Robert Antoine Pinchon | Post-Impressionist painter

Claude Monet referred to him: "As a surprising touch in the service of a surprising eye".

Among Robert Antoine Pynchons' important works are a series of paintings of the River Seine, mostly around Rouen and landscapes depicting places in or near Upper Normandy.

Robert Antoine Pinchon (1886-1943) was a French Post-Impressionist landscape painter of the Rouen School- l'École de Rouen.

He was consistent throughout his career in his dedication to painting landscapes en plein air.

At the hanging of the Salon des Artistes Rouennais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, Robert Antoine Pinchon (centre), 1934

He was painter of still lifes, lush and vibrant landscapes of Rouen, and of ports, bridges, and scenery throughout France.

Pinchon began his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rouen in 1901.

As an institution which encouraged a less formal approach to painting, Pinchon’s artistic abilities thrived, and he soon began to exhibit his work, culminating in his participation in the Salon d’Automne in 1907.

Long-established as a sanctuary and inspiration for the great artists of the Impressionist movement, artists of the School of Rouen came into prominence at the beginning of the 20th century.

Pinchon and his contemporaries were among the second group of artists to emerge from the School of Rouen, following the successful careers of great French Impressionist artists, such as Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926), Alfred Sisley (French, 1839-1899) and Camille Pissarro (French, 1831-1903).

At an exhibition, from left to right: Robert Antoine Pinchon, Mrs. Pierre Dumont, La Broue and Pierre Dumont

Later, he and friend Pierre Dumont (French, 1884-1936) founded the Group of XXX, later known as the Sociéte de Peintures Modernes. Exhibiting his work along with great artists like Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) and André Derain (French, 1880-1954), Pinchon’s masterful depiction of luminous light and vibrant color established him as a member of the Post-Impressionist movement, and helped further establish the School of Rouen.

From 1924 to 1940, Pinchon exhibited regularly at the Reitlinger Gallery in Paris.

Robert-Antoine Pinchon died on 3 January 1943 in Bois-Guillaume, France, at the age of 56.

Today, a large part of his oeuvre resides in private collections, with the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen housing the most extensive public collection of his work.