Georges Moreau de Tours

The artist and thence by descent to his daughter Jacqueline Moreau de Tours

Thence by descent, until 2022

Paris, Salon, 1896, no. 1447 (illustrated)

Georges Moreau de Tours, who trained at the École des Beaux-Arts under Alexandre Cabanel from 1865, was a regular exhibitor at the Salon des Beaux-Arts. His monumental painting Le Coup de Vent, shown in his final Salon exhibition in 1896, reflects his later artistic style. By this period - following his receipt of the Légion d’honneur in 1892 - he had shifted away from grand patriotic themes toward naturalistic, intimate scenes of rural daily life.

In Le Coup de Vent, his family serves as the subject: his daughters Jacqueline and Georgette are depicted washing linens, while his wife Thérèse hangs them out to dry. A sudden gust of wind animates Thérèse’s figure, creating a dynamic contrast with the calm concentration of the children. The painting emphasizes atmospheric light and subtle integration of figures into the landscape, reflecting ninteenth century naturalist interests in light and environment.