- Georges Ricard-Cordingley
A painter and traveller, Georges Ricard-Cordingley (1873-1939) constantly searched for an original contact with the world of sea.
Biography
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1873 -January 30 : Georges Ricard born inLyon , to parents Prosper Louis Ricard and Georgina Marie Cordingley. Childhood spent chiefly inLyon andBoulogne-sur-Mer ; quickly displays a gift for drawing.* 1875, Death of his father.
* 1887, Becomes student of Jean-Charles Cazin (1840-1901), landscape artist in
Pas-de-Calais .* 1888-1889, Attends School of Fine Arts,
Lyon * 1890, Enrolls in Julian Academy,
Paris ; studies underBenjamin Constant , Louis Martinet, and Jules Lefèvre.* 1892, Death of his mother; Georges is 19. Stays with mother’s relatives during trip to
England , adopts the surname Cordingley. First voyage to theNorth Sea with The Fishermen’s Mission. First studies for seascapes.* 1894, Paintings very well received in Queen Victoria’s court.
* 1895, Second trip to
North Sea . Produces studies of waves, clouds. Also paints myriad fishermen’s portraits, portscapes. Works exhibited inParis andLondon .* 1896, Third voyage to
North Sea ; continues acrossAtlantic with a French mission to seafarers. Shipwreck in Newfoundland.* 1901, Establishes studio in
Boulogne-sur-Mer .Divides time betweenLondon ,Paris , and Boulogne. Paints portraits and seascapes.* 1903, Responsible for ornamentation of
Wimereux Casino (Pas-de-Calais ).* 1909-1910, Voyage and exhibitions in
Australia .* 1911, Marries Suzanne Giraud-Teulon, later the mother of his three children: Éliane (1913-1945), Louis (1917-1942) and Gabrielle (born 1924).
* 1914-1918, Assigned to work as ambulance attendant in
Lyon . Continues drawing.* 1918, Moves to Villa des Enfants in
Cannes ; buys Villa René on Boulevard Sainte-Beuve inBoulogne-sur-Mer .* 1924-1928, Buys a house in
Neuilly-sur-Seine . Divides time between the Parisian suburb,Cannes and Boulogne. Takes many tripsNormandy ,Brittany , theMediterranean ,North Africa . Exhibits work in and aroundParis ,Cannes , and Boulogne. Also travels to lake regions inSwitzerland ,Italy andFrance .* 1928-1930, Trips to
Holland , Basque Country,North Sea .* 1931-1934, Trips to
North Africa , notably toMorocco , where he exhibited work in 1934. Winters inCannes , summers inBoulogne-sur-Mer .* 1935, Continues to paint in
Cannes . Travels toSpain andPortugal .* 1936, Moves to
Mougins , then to Cannet, to be near the sea.*
1939 -April 25 : death inCannes following a cerebral hemorrhage.Work
"Georges Ricard-Cordingley is the only maritime artist to have begun life in Lyon. His taste for the esoteric, his writings about art, and his treatment of mist in seascapes—nuanced tones, subtle harmonies—make him a clear product of the Lyonnais school of painting. Here was a man remarkable for his discretion, finesse, and restraint in conveying feelings and emotions. Ricard-Cordingley was said to be a painter of colourful greys: hues echoed not only in the styles of the Lyonnais and London schools, but in the two cities themselves, which granted the artist his first taste of success. He would also find a niche in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Cannes. In Cordingley’s mind, the morning fog on the North Sea was linked to the evening fog on the Côte d’Azur, and his work basks in the uncertain, infinite nature that this artistic “bilingualism” so effortlessly translates into universal emotion. Different—but above all, diverse—Cordingley’s oils, watercolours and charcoals are marked by a unique artistic vision that unites them all."
From Pierre Miquel (1921-2002) art historian, Cordingley expert
References
ources
Cristina Baron, "Georges Ricard-Cordingley", Paris,
musée national de la Marine , 2006, ISBN 2901421253
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