Mattéo Brondy (1866-1944) "Moroccan Horseman" Meknes, Morocco; Paris, Marrakech; Mokhaznis Makhzen

Mattéo Brondy (1866-1944)

"Moroccan Horseman"

Oil on canvas,
Signed lower right,

A beautiful Orientalist work by the painter Mattéo Brondy depicting a Moroccan horseman from the South in front of a marabout, perhaps the marabout of Sidi Aïssa in Meknes.

His talent is masterful, the details precise, and his colors remarkably vibrant.

This is most certainly a makhzen horseman, or maghzen, a term referring to a supplementary unit in Morocco. Its fighters (Mokhaznis) generally lived with their families in tents around the post to which they were assigned. They could be employed on foot or horseback and served as police. They are recognizable by their large hats.

A student at the Académie Julian in Paris, under the great masters Jules Lefèvre, Tony Robert-Fleury, and Rochegrosse, he left the studio once he had mastered his technique. An independent artist, fond of life and travel, he paints purely for pleasure. He visits Italy, then sub-Saharan Africa, where the harsh light doesn't appeal to him. Wartime assignments take him to North Africa, Morocco, and more specifically to Meknes. He exhibits in Morocco, Algeria, and Paris.

Mattéo Brondy confesses in a letter: "I believe that painting should be the image of life and capture, as best it can, the beautiful scenes that charm our eyes, with light contributing to highlighting their effects and making them indelible in our memory. And what is true for large outdoor scenes is no less true for interior scenes, where the muted effects of light contribute to making the impression of calm and serenity that we involuntarily feel when we visit a medina all the more compelling."

As a lover of painting and the places that captivate him, he paints landscapes and everyday scenes with remarkable talent, or sketches in his notebook.

Note: Minor, inconsequential cracks are visible in the sky.

Dimensions: 73 x 60 cm unframed and 86.5 x 73.5 cm with its original wooden frame.

For more information, please contact us.

Ref: UFO2AXJORL