Henri Jamet, Rest close to river Creuse banks
Emile-Othon FRIESZ, Creuse valley in Crozant
Léon DETROY, the Gargilesse river in spring
Maurice Moisset, Creuse valley
Francis Picabia, La Sédelle
Paul MADELINE, the Foolish mill
William DIDIER-POUGET, Creuse valley in Gargilesse
Anders OSTERLIND, view of Gargilesse
From 1850 to 1930 the painters of the Creuse became a coherent group of artists. They formed a school of landscape painters who shared, with their varying personalities the love of a colourful valley.
The valley of painters
William DIDIER-POUGET, Anders OSTERLIND, Léon DETROY, Henri JAMET, Allan OSTERLIND, Maurice MOISSET, Paul MADELINE, Emile -Othon FRIESZ, Francis PICABIA
Gargilesse was the first village in the Creuse Valley to have known an artistic invasion.
George Sand came to Gargilesse from 1857 onwards, and the village rapidly became a working holiday resort for the Paris artists. Around 1860, the banks of the river Gargilesse, the mill on the Creuse, the tower of Chateaubrun, the Black bridge and the Whirlpool lured the painters tempted by working outside. Even if most of the artists only came for short stays, some of them found here the source of their inspiration. Among them: Allan Osterlind (1855-1938) who obtained his reputation with his country scenes. His son Anders Osterlind (1887-1960) was one of the most well known landscape painters of the Valley of the Creuse. The painter Henri Jamet (1858-1940) was the head of a family of artists who did much for the fame of Gargilesse and his son Pierre, the well known harpist, opened an academy of music in the village and founded the famous harp festival.
Not forgetting the landscape painter William Didier-Pouget (1864-1959) and the artist Leon Detroy (1859-1955) who lived in Gargilesse. His landscapes of the region totally renewed the ideas of Guillaumin at Crozant.
Allan OSTERLIND, Goat keeper near Gargilesse
Léon

Where to see the paintings of the Creuse?
Guillaumin, Monet, Friesz, Picabia………many of their paintings are in national museums, but the museums in our region have grouped their works on the theme of The School of Crozant and Gargilesse.
Châteauroux: The Bertrand Museum
Saint-Amand-Montrond : Saint Vic Museum
La Châtre : The George Sand and Black Valley Museum
Guéret : Louis Lacrocq's Art and Archaeology Museum
Limoges : L'Evêché Museum

Visits to the local galleries showing paintings of the Valley of the Creuse
Marcel Pacaud's gallery in Gargilesse

M. Christophe Rameix's gallery "The Sédelle" in La Celle-Dunoise who has a collection of paintings by the artists of the Creuse School.

To know more:
L'Ecole de Crozant - Les Peintres de la Creuse et de Gargilesse 1860-1950
by Christophe Rameix - Edition L.Souny