Afternoon Light

20th-century oil painting on hardboard under glass, signed Pierre Agnès (1898–1964) and dated 1920 in the lower left corner. Titled Bord de Seine à la Frette-sur-Seine (Riverbank at La Frette-sur-Seine, Val-d’Oise). Artist’s stamp on reverse.

This striking landscape is framed in bold, expressive greens—Agnès uses color not just to depict nature, but to evoke emotion. The scene captures the peaceful rhythm of the countryside just outside Paris, with a quiet intimacy that speaks to the painter’s deep connection to place.

About the artist:

Born in Maisons-Laffitte (northwest of Paris), Pierre Agnès grew up in his father’s ornamental ironworking workshop. In 1915, he entered the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, though his studies were interrupted by World War I, during which he served as a volunteer.

After the war, Agnès worked as a draughtsman and decorator in Paris and the surrounding region while continuing to paint privately. Beginning in 1922, he found recurring inspiration in Brittany—first in Loctudy, then Camaret—capturing the shifting light and maritime atmosphere of the region.

He exhibited at the Salon des Beaux-Arts (1930–1932) and the Salon des Indépendants (1948–1949). His body of work—rural landscapes, seascapes, family scenes, animal studies, and wartime drawings—reflects an art rooted in lived experience and poetic observation.

• Overall Size: 18.5" x 14.5" / 47.5cm x 37cm.
• Size without frame: 9" x 12.9" / 23cm x 33cm.
• Country of origin: France.
• Signature: Pierre Agnès (1898-1964). 
• Creation date: 1920. 
• Condition: Very good condition for age, preserved under glass.
• Materials: Oil painting on hardboard under glass presented in a more modern light wooden Montparnasse frame. 
• Shipping: Complimentary shipping to the US and Europe. A surcharge will be applied for deliveries to Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
• DDP shipping: All taxes and import fees are included in the listed price.