Ludovic Piette French, 1826-1878

Ludovic Piette (1826-1878) was a landscape painter and a contemporary of the Impressionists. He studied in the studio of Couture and later attended the Académie Suisse where he was friend with Edouard Manet and Antoine Chintreuil. Piette regularly participated at the Salon from 1857 until 1876. Apart from his friendship with Camille Pissarro, Piette did not have much contact with the other Impressionist painters. He nevertheless participated in their exhibition in 1877 and posthumously in the one of 1879. He spent his time between his studio in Montmartre and his property in Montfoucault in the Mayenne, which inspired most of his subject matter. Pissarro stayed with him in 1870 before leaving for England and again in 1874.
 
Ludovic Piette was equally talented using oils, watercolour and lithography. His gouaches are incredibly detailed, with a particular emphasis on the atmosphere and the luminosity of the sky. Among his favourite areas for painting, were Pontoise and Louveciennes. His cityscapes views and markets scene were particularly praised in the Impressionist exhibition, for their details, and their abilities to convey the rural life, and a sense of timelessness.
 
The museum Tavet-Delacour in Pontoise organised a retrospective exhibition of the artist in 1998, where the two paintings listed below were included.

Piette's works are included in the collection of the Pontoise Museum, Pontoise; Albright-Knox, Buffalo; Louvre, Paris.