Louis Alexandre Bouché, (1838-1911) Pastures around Crécy-en-Brie, route de Meaux Oil on canvas, signed and dated 1889, titled on the back 65x100cm Louis-Alexandre Bouché was born on January 10, 1838 in Luzancy. He was a pupil of Camille Corot, whose portrait he painted in 1860. Winner of the Rosa Bonheur prize in 1901. Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1905. He worked at the age of ten in a tile factory in his native town then at fifteen he was hired on a construction site in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre where millstones were made. Louis-Alexandre Bouché devoted his free time to drawing, Louis-Jean-Marie Rémy gave him his first lessons and organized the decisive meeting between his pupil and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. He advises him to go to Paris. Louis-Alexandre Bouché worked there for some time then traveled to France before going to Italy. He executed landscapes sometimes animated by animals, views of the banks of the Marne and portraits. His art is characterized by great attention to light, changing atmospheres and subtle colors. On his return, he joined the hamlet of Messy near Luzancy. He sent works to the Salon which had the Luzancy region as their subject, including Le soir au bord de la Marne in 1864 and Bords de la Marne in 1911. He exhibited at the Salon between 1864 and 1910. He was a friend of Léon Lhermitte, of Amédée Servin (1829-1884) and Joseph Paul Meslé (1855-1927). In 1895, he obtained a third class medal. Louis-Alexandre Bouché died on March 2, 1911 at his home in Messy in the commune of Luzancy, then was buried on March 5 in the cemetery of the commune. Louis-Alexandre Bouché was the master of Jean Eugène Julien Massé (1856-1950) and Franck Cinot (1851-1890) Public collections Museums of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Limoge, Lyon, Nantes, Rennes
