Technical information
- Title : Ordener Market (II)
- Date : 1952
- Technique : Oil on panel
- Dimensions : 46 × 55 cm
- Location : Private collection
Biographical / historical context
The market on rue Ordener (Paris) is a recurring motif in Breuillaud’s work at the beginning of the 1950s.
These scenes allow him to capture popular urban life and to orchestrate groups of figures around the rhythms of stalls, awnings, and circulation. The mention “(II)” indicates a variant or second version, attesting to serial work.
Formal / stylistic description
The composition presents a view structured by diagonals and verticals that mark the market space. The silhouettes—vendors and customers—are treated as simple, often compact volumes, integrated into a mosaic of coloured planes.
Parasols and awnings form swathes of colour (greens, yellows, reds) that overlap, building depth through layering. Drawing outlines the shapes with firm lines, while colour organizes areas of activity and shade, giving the scene a character that is both descriptive and highly constructed.
Comparative analysis / related works
By its subject and method, the painting belongs to Breuillaud’s market corpus, in which observation of everyday life is converted into an almost musical structure (repetitions, variations, counterpoints).
Compared to more intimate scenes (an isolated stall), this version privileges the overall effect: a fragmented crowd, multiplication of planes, and the importance of large upper colour fields.
Justification of dating and attribution
The date 1952 is compatible with the maturity of this series: dense palette, mastered fragmentation, synthetic figures.
The signature at lower left confirms the attribution to André Breuillaud.
Provenance / exhibitions / publications
Private collection. Provenance, exhibitions, and publications: not documented to date.
© Bruno Restout — Catalogue raisonné André Breuillaud