Biography of Marcel Caron
Marcel Caron, born in 1890 in Enghien-les-Bains in France to parents from Liège, is a Belgian painter whose work has evolved over the decades. His father, Alphonse Caron, a painter working at the Gobelins factory, played a decisive role in his artistic orientation. The family returned to Liège in 1901, where Marcel Caron met Auguste Donnay and Richard Heintz through his father.
After a period of affinity with the Barbizon School, Caron discovered Flemish Expressionism and was influenced by Gustave De Smet, Constant Permeke, and Frits van den Berghe, visiting the Sélection gallery with Auguste Mambour. In 1926, he became a founding member of the Escalier group in Liège alongside Mambour and Edgar Scauflaire.
In 1930, Caron ended his expressionist period to devote himself to wood and stone sculpture, while continuing to draw. In 1953, he exhibited abstract gouaches at the Le Carré gallery in Liège and continued his abstract explorations until his death in 1961.
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Marcel Caron is known for his scenes of everyday life, including works such as *Maternité*, *Son Enfant*, and *Les Fiancés* at the Musée d'Art Wallon, as well as *L'Escarpolette*, *Le Jeune Garçon* at the Musée de Verviers. His representations of professions, such as *Le Batelier*, *Les Bûcherons*, and *La Bouture*, highlight characters dedicated to their task, reduced to their very essence. The line adapts to the subject, ranging from static to dynamic, from tenderness to effort.
In his landscapes, the curve confronts the cube, blending post-cubism and expressionism with warm colors deployed with refinement. Caron's work is characterized by his deep engagement with form and color, offering a rich exploration of the interplay between visual elements and their emotional context.
Marcel Caron leaves an artistic legacy marked by his ability to fuse post-cubist and expressionist influences with a unique sensitivity to color and form.
