A collection of early oils, etchings, and drawings by the Parisian artist Bernard Lamotte (1903 – 1983) will be on exhibit at the Jessie Edwards Gallery on the second floor of the Post Office building from June 25 to July 6. There will be a virtual opening on Friday, June 25.
Born in Paris and educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Sorbonne, Lamotte depicts scenes from daily life. The etchings in this exhibit were commissioned by the Limited Editions Club for their 1954 publication of “Swann’s Way,” the first volume of Marcel Proust’s “Remembrance of Things Past,” also known as “In Search of Lost Time.” The oils are not related to Lamotte’s work for “Swann’s Way.”
Several of the oils are portraits. “Woman in a Red Scarf” is a profile in soft shades of gray against a pale blue and gray background. The crimson head scarf against her black hair brings the portrait to life. “Sleeping Sailor” is another portrait in black, grays, and whites with the officer’s ear and nose set off in contrasting dabs of red. “Pensive Woman” is a subdued image in gray, brown, white, and rose tones of a woman resting her