Overview
In 1880 Henri Le Sidaner moved to Paris where he studied painting first at the atelier of Alexandre Cabanel and then at the Ecole nationale des Beaux-Arts. In the French capital he received fresh inspiration from both the Impressionist painterly technique and the mysterious and compelling atmospheres favoured by the Symbolists. Over time Le Sidaner brought these two generally contrasting strands together in his own art, creating works that pay homage to the beauty and the mystery of the natural world.
Increasingly self-assured and critically acclaimed in his artistic vision, Le Sidaner’s technique, style and ambition were already set by the turn of the century. In 1900 he exhibited in the first exhibition of the Société Nouvelle at the Galerie Georges Petit, alongside such artist friends as Henri Martin and Edmond Aman-Jean. He subsequently won a contract from the prestigious Galerie Georges Petit, and was given regular solo exhibitions there.