Émil-Bénédiktoff Hirschfeld (1867 - 1922)

It was in the opalescent light that enveloped the reality of the port in darkness and mystery that Hirschfeld's Slavic soul expressed itself most truly. Like Charles Cottet and the painters of the black band, he found his mark in the intimate poetry of chiaroscuro, adding a distinctive and distinguished note to Concarnois painting.

Born in Odessa in 1867, the Russian painter lived in Concarneau for thirty years. He was part of the great movement of foreign artists at the end of the 19th century who came to meet French realist painting, deeply marked by Courbet. Munich and then Paris were the stops for the young artist. He arrived in Concarneau in 1891. There he found room and board, painter friends and the thematic material he sought in the poor and picturesque maritime environment. With his sometimes warm and nuanced palette, sometimes monochrome dominated by green, he painted many tuna boats. The following paintings appear: "Moonlight at low tide" 1905, "Gale of wind" 1905, "Evening rest", "Boats in the moonlight". Hirschfeld had found his way. He multiplied the moonrises and sunsets over the bay. The Slavic artist died prematurely at the age of 54 and translated the mysticism of the Breton soul in his own way.