André Bauchant

André Bauchant was born in Château-Renault, France, in 1873. Although a good student who loved classics and geography, he left school at the age of 14 to work as a farmer. He continued to educate himself after this departure, however, reading widely (with particular emphasis on history, mythology, architecture, maps, and telemetry) and traveling throughout France. This self-education is reflected in the historical compositions that Bauchant painted in the first decade of his artistic career.

Bauchant served in the army during World War I, working as an accountant and then as a draftsman. Because he was a quick study, he was soon put in charge of charting and rangefinding. After the completion of his military service, Bauchant moved with his wife to Auzouer-en-Touraine, to work as a gardener and a horticulturist. Encouraged by his experiences in the army, he began, at age 45, to paint in his spare time, filling canvas upon canvas with lush floral arrangements and vivid landscapes.

Beginning with the 1921 Salon d’Automne, Bauchant exhibited his works at galleries throughout Paris. He was among the members of the preeminent “Sacred Heart” group, championed by the German art historian Wilhelm Uhde as successors to Henri Rousseau.