The Caverns of Prunal near Pontgibaud (Auvergne)

Around 1890, the French impressionist Armand Guillaumin discovered the village of Crozant in the region of Creuse, France. This was the area where this view of the caves at Prunal was painted. It seems from this work that as a painter Guillaumin adopted a position somewhere between Impressionism and Fauvism. In his subtle treatment of light and in his brushwork…

Around 1890, the French impressionist Armand Guillaumin discovered the village of Crozant in the region of Creuse, France. This was the area where this view of the caves at Prunal was painted. It seems from this work that as a painter Guillaumin adopted a position somewhere between Impressionism and Fauvism. In his subtle treatment of light and in his brushwork, he demonstrated his kinship with such impressionists as Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro, with whom he had been exhibiting since the 1860s. On the other hand, the use of bright colours and harsher tones of violet, ochre, green and brown signal a more modern tendency. In this way his work is related to that of Paul Cézanne, who was a good friend of his.