Félicien Cacan

Born in Paris, French artist Félicien Cacan (1880-1979) was the pupil and assistant of the famous portrait painter, Belle Epoque Jacques-Émile Blanche (1861-1942). In fact, a portrait of Jacques-Émile Blanche as a soldier by Félicien Cacan is under the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen. Several sketches and draft screens had been collected by the Center Pompidou museum in Paris.

Essentially, Cacan’s oeuvre comprises portraits and landscapes that bypass the impressionist rendering. Although belonging to a timeline that observed a shift in the art practice, towards modernism, his practice is largely realistic and involves a thorough reference to anatomical accuracy. Mastering in the depiction of common life and the joy associated with it, Cacan embodies a great detail to the mundane conundrums. At the same time, some of his works also project stark realities, just how Realism grounded its style and repertoire of representation.