The Village with the Chapel Seen from Tertres (St. Briac) - Henri Rivière

A colour lithograph by Henri Rivière depicting the village of Saint-Briac, influenced by the aesthetic principles of Japanese woodblock prints.

Henri Rivière was a central figure in the French printmaking revival at the end of the nineteenth century. This work, depicting the village of Saint-Briac in Brittany, demonstrates his fascination with the aesthetic principles of Japanese woodblock prints. Rivière adopted the flat planes of colour, bold outlines, and unconventional perspectives characteristic of ukiyo-e, applying these techniques to the rural scenery of the French coast.

The composition is divided into distinct zones. In the foreground, a rocky outcrop and a simple wooden structure frame the view, creating a sense of depth that leads the eye toward the village. The middle ground contains the houses of Saint-Briac, rendered with simplified forms and clean lines. Beyond the village, the rolling fields of the Breton countryside extend toward the horizon, where the sky meets the land in a series of gentle, undulating curves. The palette is restrained, relying on soft greens, ochres, and muted blues to convey the atmosphere of the region.

Rivière produced this print as part of his broader exploration of the Breton landscape, a subject he returned to throughout his career. His ability to synthesise the traditional techniques of Japanese art with the specific light and topography of Brittany resulted in a body of work that is both decorative and observational. The inclusion of his red seal, a direct homage to the Japanese tradition, confirms his stylistic alignment with the Japonisme movement that influenced many of his contemporaries in Paris. This print offers a clear view of his technical precision and his preference for balanced, harmonious compositions. It remains a representative example of his contribution to the development of the modern colour lithograph, showing his skill in managing flat areas of ink to create a coherent and evocative scene.