Still Life with Palette

From 1880 to 1886, Jourdan trained academically at Ecole des beaux-arts in Paris and then at the Academie Julian. He arrived in Pont-Aven in 1886 and stayed at the Pension Gloanec, where he befriended Bernard, Laval and Gauguin. The group influenced the evolution of his Impressionist style, similar to that of Moret, but he became a Synthetist only after Gauguin’s departure for Polynesia. In this canvas, Jourdan has organised the composition around familiar objects found in his studio and placed on a table. He creates harmony between the colour, substance and placement of the palette, bottle, books and brushes.