“Market Scene Strasbourg, Paris”

Original oil on canvas painting of a bustling marketplace in Strasbourg, France. Signed by the artist lower left “P. Denarie”. Circa 1875. Condition is very good. The painting is housed in a monumental gold leaf period frame in fine condition. Overall framed measurements are 43 by 48.5 inches. Old gallery label verso from La Galerie D’Art in Strasbourg, France. On that label appears to have been exhibited at the Salon des Independents. Provenance: A Chicago, Illinois estate.

Strasbourg is a major city in eastern France, the capital of the Bas-Rhin department, and a key European hub, known for its historic center (Petite France), Gothic cathedral, and role as the seat of the European Parliament and Council of Europe. Its history is marked by its location on the Franco-German border, leading to periods of both French and German rule, which is reflected in its unique architecture, from medieval timber-framed houses to German Renaissance and Neoclassical buildings.

Paul Denarié, also known as Jean Sorlain, born in Paris on January 1, 1859, and died in the same city on February 25, 1942, was a French painter.

Paul Denarié began painting in 1874. A student in the City of Paris art classes, he studied notably under William Bouguereau.

In 1897, he was selected to paint the official portrait of the Shah of Persia, Mozaffar ad-Din Shah, during his visit to Paris[2]. From 1881 onward, the artist associated with the painters of Auvers-sur-Oise. Believing that nature was the finest of schools, he set up his easel in Normandy and Brittany—particularly during numerous stays in Saint-Malo, Rouen, Honfleur, and Le Tréport. Much like his contemporaries, he created sketches *en plein air* (outdoors), which he subsequently reworked in his studio. This studio was located at 9, Rue de Provence in Paris. The majority of his oeuvre depicts Paris and its surrounding areas (Pontoise, Auvers-sur-Oise, Cergy, etc.), and particularly Montmartre, where he was nicknamed "the Dean of Painters"

He exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Indépendants from 1927 to 1930, at the Salon des Humoristes, and at the Salon de l'École Française; he was also the driving force behind the creation of the open-air exhibitions held by the *Artistes Professionnels Français*.

In 1930, he founded the *Société Les Trente Ans de la Palette*, an association bringing together painters, draftsmen, and sculptors. This society exhibited at the Grand Palais in 1931, though its activities ceased during the Second World War.

A recipient of an award from the City of Paris, he was appointed *Officier d'Académie* in 1932 and served as president of the *Société du Damier Parisien*.

A poet and songwriter, he is credited with some ten literary works intended for the stage, produced between 1889 and 1902.

He painted his final canvas on the banks of the Seine in September 1941.

His body of work is renowned for its depictions of fairs, festivals, and markets; its reconstructions of daily life; and its renderings of traditional trades—but above all, for its barnyard scenes and views of towns in Normandy.

He practiced oil painting, gouache, watercolor, and drawing.

His works are featured in art museums in the cities of Cherbourg, Rouen, and Le Havre.

A sale of part of his studio was conducted by his heirs on May 3, 1963, at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris. At the time of the studio sale, his son, Georges Denarié, wrote that his father had "mastered the art of drawing completely; whether with his swift and sure pencil or his remarkably skillful brush, he knew—with apparent ease and a mastery of composition—how to evoke Nature in its most realistic aspect, while reserving the right to infuse it with the accent of a personal poetry".