LOUIS PARRENS (b. 1904)

Louis Parrens was born in Paris in 1904. He was a student at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. He showed great promise and throughout his career he was recognized by all of the prominent French schools of art. He eventually became a teacher at the Paris art academy. He encouraged his students to use color to tell a story. His philosophy was "if the color speaks to the eye, then the drawing speaks to the mind."

He believed that art took its source in nature. His work was particularly inspired by the Brittany coast. He used sailors and fishermen extensively as central themes in the Brittany landscapes. Although Parrens’ work emphasizes the use of the color blue, he also incorporated a wide spectrum of warm browns and orange harmonies to complete an atmosphere which evokes universal feelings in all of us.

His works were exhibited at the Galerie Montsouris in Paris as well as the Paris City Hall. He won a Gold Medal from the most prestigious French art salon, "Les Artistes Français."

Biography courtesy of dussardgallery.com