Galerie Paul Prouté

Although he began painting in 1879 under the guidance of a number of local painters, Maxime Maufra, the son of the director of a small Nantes metalworking firm, was encouraged early on towards a career in commerce. He began his business career in 1884 after a long internship in England with a Liverpool merchant, and continued to paint in his spare time.
Finally giving up his commercial activity in 1889 to devote himself exclusively to painting, he travelled the length and breadth of Brittany alone during the 1890s. For a few months, he rubbed shoulders with the small group of artists established in Pont-Aven, led by Gauguin, but he soon continued his journey, seeking his own distinctive style.
For many years, the draughtsman and watercolourist were more successful than the painter. Wishing to represent only the essential elements of the nature he was painting against, Maufra attached great importance to the construction of his works. In his drawings, vigorous and expressive notes with a sure and lively line, the artist eliminates the anecdotal and uses a strong but limited range of colours.