French, 19th Century
Student of Jean Gigoux, Paul Abram participated in the Salon des Artistes Francais and in various other French exhibitions beginning in 1882. He specialized in portraying views of Brittany as well as portraits. Among his works one can site Portrait (Salon of 1882)--Fileuse a Pont-Aven (Little Girl in Pont-Aven)—Portrait d’Auguste Vitu, 1883—La Fontaine de Sainte-Pierre-le-Pauvre (The Fountain of Saint-Pierre-le-Pauvre)—Vieux marin breton, (Old Brittany Sailor), 1890—L’Homme á la hache (Man with Axe), 1912. Farmer Sharpening his Scythe portrays a glimpse of typical French peasant life. The theme of labor on the farm was a popular one for the French realist artists, in particular, Jules Breton and Leon Augustin Lhermitte. Lending nobility and a sense of simple grandeur to the rapidly changing life of the peasant, due to the advent of the industrial age, was a heartfelt desire on the part of these artists. This image with it’s peaceful atmosphere and barefoot farmer quietly sharpening his scythe is a beautiful example of the French realist tradition. Museums: Musée de Brest: Route de Cimitiere de Tréboul, effet de Soleil, 1888 Musée de Rochefort: Portrait d’un Breton
