This oil on canvas is by Charles L’Eplattenier, a versatile Neuchâtel artist prominent in the first half of the 20th century. Trained in Budapest and Paris, he returned to La Chaux-de-Fonds at the age of twenty-three to teach at the Ecole d’arts appliqués à l’industrie de La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he later taught Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, the future Le Corbusier. L’Eplattenier was fascinated with the peaks of the Jura and the slopes of the Doubs, which he painted tirelessly as the seasons changed and the light varied. The artist enjoyed strolling near the basins and the Saut du Doubs, and painting outside in the open air. These areas served as his sanctuary for meditation and inspiration. The flow of the Doubs played a significant role in his work, contributing to his acclaim as a painter. Sadly, it was here that he lost his life in 1946, falling from a rock face.
This 1939 work, depicting the Doubs Basin illuminated by spring light, was showcased at MBAL during the Charles L’Eplattenier exhibition (2019).
Oil on canvas, inv. 1597
