The Life and Art of Paul Biva
Paul Biva was a French painter born in Montmartre. Raised in a family originally from Alsace and Grisons, he learned to draft designs for his father's wallpaper factory in Montmartre alongside his brother, Henri Biva. His early training in the artistic context of Montmartre contributed to the delicacy and sureness of line found in his compositions of bouquets and still lifes.
Biva's work featured intricate landscape paintings and elaborate flower settings. He was particularly known for painting flowers, especially roses and peonies in full bloom, paying attention to the variations of direct and reflected light on petals. His artistic legacy included a mix of the baroque tradition of Dutch still lifes, the simplicity of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, and the energy of Realist painting, later becoming sensitive to the Impressionist movement of the 1870s.
Exhibitions and Recognition
After the Salon of 1878, Paul Biva exhibited almost continuously to the Salon des artistes français and other salons in Paris and Province until his death in 1900. His works were recognized by the public and critics, and he was a distinguished member of the National Horticultural Society of France from 1898 until his death. Notable collectors included Baron Alphonse James de Rothschild, who purchased Chrysanthèmes, exhibited at the Salon of 1893.
Beyond his paintings, Biva's illustrative skills were revealed in drawings created for the illustrated catalogs of the Salon des artistes français between 1878 and 1901. His works are held in various public collections, including:
- Musée des beaux-arts de Troyes
- Musée Gétraud, Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire
- Musée d'art et d'histoire de Saint-Brieuc
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
- Musée des beaux-arts et d'archéologie Joseph-Déchelette, Roanne
- Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen
- Musée des beaux-arts de Tourcoing
