Henry St. Clair was born in Arras, Pas de Calais, in the Normandy region of France in 1899 and later lived in Sotteville, near the picturesque port of Honfleur. He was born to a well-to-do family and worked as an art restorer for the National Museums of France, including the Louvre Museum.
A Post-Impressionist, Henry St. Clair is now beginning to be recognized as one of the fine artists of French coastal life. His beach scenes of Normandy include colorful scenes of families and friends, in period costume, enjoying picturesque seasides such as Deuville, Honfleur and Trouville.
Henry St. Clair’s paintings draw the viewer into a peaceful world that provides one with same perspective as the subjects in the paintings, typically looking out over the warm sand and bright sea.
St. Clair's preferred medium was oil on painter's board, which contributes to the uniqueness of his style. Much of his oeuvre was completed between 1920-1970, with a four-year exception between1941-1945, during the German occupation of France.
Henry St. Clair’s art was inspired by the spirited colors and gaiety of Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) and influenced by the art of Eugene Boudin (1824-1898), one of the first French landscape artists to paint en plein-air. St. Clair worked in a studio in Honfleur alongside Raoul Dufy, Andre Hamburg (1909-1999), Fernando Herbo (1905-1995), and Jacques Bouyssou (1925-1997). |
