Lanriot Chapel in the Moonlight

Emile Jourdan repeatedly painted Lanriot Chapel, located on the banks of the Belon River in Moelan-sur-Mer, and the building is at the heart of a series of works stretching from 1912 to 1928. Green is the dominant colour in this scene set at dusk in winter, uniting the sky and earth, which are also connected by three lilac-tinged pruned poplars. This Synthetist depiction of a moment in daily life applies an economy of means to simplify the scene, giving it a timeless quality and creating a balance between the majestic landscape and the tiny human figure within it. The stylised rendering of the chapel gives it a primitive look that harks back to Gauguin. Jourdan was a passionate and loyal disciple of Gauguin and continued painting in the Pont-Aven style long after the master’s death in 1903.