The Hamlet (c. 1945)

Technical information

• Title : The Hamlet
• Date : c. 1945
• Technique : Oil on canvas (HST)
• Dimensions : 50 × 65 cm
• Location : Private collection*

Biographical / historical context

Around 1945, Breuillaud multiplied views of village paths and streets—simple motifs that allowed him to combine observation of reality with pictorial construction. The road becomes a subject in its own right: it guides the eye, but also evokes the idea of a journey and the resumption of ordinary life after the rupture of previous years.

This scene forms part of that vein of landscapes inhabited by everyday architecture: walls, hedges, roofs, and trees compose a familiar setting rather than a panorama.

Formal / stylistic description

A pale road winds through green masses and leads toward a cluster of houses. Trees, treated as large volumes, frame the perspective and provide a visual framework. The presence of a figure at the roadside introduces scale and a discreet narrative note.

The visible brushwork works the light by juxtaposing cool greens and warm ochres. Planes are simplified, yet the scene retains great legibility thanks to the hierarchy of forms: road, walls, foliage, built elements.

Comparative analysis / related works

Within Breuillaud’s corpus of village landscapes, this type of composition—curving road, lateral tree masses, construction through diagonals—recurs frequently. It enables the artist to reconcile a sense of immediacy (free brushwork) with a solid organisation of depth.

Compared with rural scenes featuring carts or working figures, this work places greater emphasis on architecture and on the relationship between road and buildings. The road acts as a link, uniting the village’s elements and animating the space.

Justification of dating and attribution

A dating around 1945 is compatible with a lightened palette, broader handling, and a desire to render atmosphere through large passages of colour. The foliage treated in masses, and the balance of greens, ochres, and blues, correspond to his post-war landscapes.

The attribution to André Breuillaud is based on his way of setting perspective through a winding road, his economy of detail in favour of coloured volumes, and his sense of rhythm provided by trees and walls.

Provenance / exhibitions / publications

Private collection*.