La Place de la Madeleine, Paris

Eugène Galien-Laloue (b. 1854-1941) was a renowned French artist who most notably painted scenes of a lively, bustling Paris in the early 1900s, also known as ‘la Belle Époque.’ Laloue was one of the first painters to explore the limitless beauty of Paris, often referred to as the ‘grand père’ of today’s street scene painters in Paris.

In 1871, at 17 years old, Laloue joined the French army to fight in the Franco-Prussian War. After completing his service, he studied art. A catalogue from Laloue’s first appearance at the Salon noted that he was artistically trained by Charles Laloue, the name of both his uncle and father, making the true source of his instruction unclear. Laloue was hired as an illustrator for the French railways which required extensive travel and painting romantic French landscapes. After some time, Laloue opened his own studio in Paris.

 
One of Laloue’s favorite subjects was L’église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, also known as La Madeleine. This Roman Catholic church, whose architecture is more akin to a Roman temple, occupies a commanding position in the 8th arrondissement of Paris and was originally designed as a temple to the glory of Napoleon’s army. Galien-Laloue depicted the building and the area surrounding it in both Summer with the flower markets brightening up the grey buildings and in Winter with snow on the ground and people rushing to get to the warmth of their destinations. Laloue’s linework is unbelievably delicate and sensitive and yet gives great substance to the forms of both his buildings and figures. At first glance his color is softly muted, yet it is rich in tonal quality. He is at once able to combine the beauty of design and color pattern with a strong atmosphere of mood and reality.

In 1904, Laloue exhibited a painting at the Salon for the first time in fifteen years, largely because his work had become so popular that he no longer relied on the Salon for promotion. In 1914, he turned to military scenes, which were valued not only for their artistic quality but also for their role in documenting history. Laloue continued painting throughout his life, choosing to live in seclusion with his children and grandchildren. He died in 1941 at the age of 86 at his country home in Val-d’Oise, having fled Paris during the German invasion.