Mathurin Méheut, les yeux ouverts

Mathurin Méheut (1882-1958) was a painter who lived during the bustling artistic period of the early 20th century. Living in the Montparnasse district of Paris which was teeming with new artistic ideas, he chose to remain on the fringe of fashion and settled in Brittany, close to people and nature. In this film, the voice of Yvonne Jean-Haffen, a student and close friend of the artist, sheds an intimate light on Méheut's motives and working process and introduces the viewer to a selection of works : sketches and drawings, instantaneous movement, an amazingly wide spectrum of warm colours. The astonishing power, spontaneity and sense of movement of his realistic painted work are a unique testimony to the people of Brittany.