Chez le Primeur – Contemporary French Pastel Diptych by Balthazar Beauzon - 41" x 28¾"

This expressive contemporary diptych, titled Chez le Primeur (At the Greengrocer's), comprises two pastel works on heavyweight 400 gsm kraft paper by French artist Balthazar Beauzon. The two panels depict a woman holding a basket of fruit and a man carrying a bunch of leeks, both standing before colorful market displays beneath a striped awning. The figures are drawn with confident dark outlines and filled with broad, flat areas of burnt orange, deep green, soft blue and warm brown. Their checked clothing, simplified features and slightly comical expressions are characteristic of Beauzon's distinctive naïve style. Each work is signed BB and presented under glass in a simple natural wood frame.

Based in Marseille, Beauzon is the son of artist Caroline Beauzon and grew up in the South of France. His work combines a playful sense of humor with a wonderfully direct approach to familiar subjects. Here, the everyday world of a Provençal greengrocer becomes a lively, almost storybook scene, with its colorful produce, striped market awning and expressive characters. There is something particularly appealing about the simplicity of the compositions and the warmth of the colors, which evoke the lively markets of southern France. Displayed side by side, these paintings would look lovely in a kitchen, breakfast room or dining area, bringing color, humor and a little Mediterranean sunshine to the space.