Galerie Paul Prouté

Born in Le Havre in 1879 and deceased in Paris in 1949, Émile Othon Friesz is historically recognized for his paintings, but he also distinguished himself as a master draftsman and graphic artist. His initial training began at the École des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre, where he formed strong friendships with Raoul Dufy and Georges Braque, with whom he would regularly collaborate. Moving to Paris in 1897 to study in Léon Bonnat’s studio, he expanded his circle by meeting Henri Matisse and Albert Marquet around Gustave Moreau’s studio.

While his early work was marked by impressionism, Friesz’s graphic approach evolved rapidly through contact with the avant-garde. During a decisive stay with Braque in La Ciotat in 1907, at the height of his Fauvist period, he entirely rethought his line: he simplified his drawing, stylized forms, and introduced « arabesques » into his works. Impressed later by Paul Cézanne’s rigor, he redirected his work toward stricter formal construction while maintaining strong expressiveness.

Regarding prints and multiples specifically, the artist took up woodcuts around 1910, producing plates directly inspired by the motifs of his own paintings, such as Adam and Eve or The Fisherman. Subsequently, from 1920 until the end of his life, Friesz devoted a significant part of his activity to book illustration. He put his draftsmanship at the service of publishing, illustrating texts by authors such as Jules Tellier, Maurice Barrès, and Bernardin de Saint-Pierre.