French Mid Century Large Expressionist oil on canvas of two seated Provencale figures by Jean Arene. The painting is signed and dated bottom left.

Painted when Arene was living in Cotignac in the south of France it probably represents his neighbours at the time the two sisters Abeille.

This magnificent painting vividly portrays two elderly ladies seated in a moment of serene companionship. The figures are depicted with textured brushstrokes, highlighting their worn clothing and weathered hands, which grip knitting needles skilfully. Earthy tones dominate the palette, enriching the rustic and organic quality of the scene. The shadows cast by the figures add depth, emphasizing their three-dimensional presence against a muted backdrop. The artist captures a sense of timelessness, evoking themes of tradition and resilience through their concentrated expressions and the tactile reality of the knitting. The simplicity of the setting, void of distractions, draws focus to the intricate details of their garments and the rhythmic activity. This composition is a testament to the beauty found in everyday life, steeped in cultural significance, and artistically rendered with masterful attention to light and form.

Jean Arène was a student of August Chabaud, a highly sought after French artist in Provence who in turn took his inspiration from Cezanne. After a stint in 1949 at the School of Fine Arts in Marseille, then a year in Paris in 1950 with the poster artist Paul Colin, Jean Arène returned to Marseille the following year where he founded the "Group of under 30'' with Trofimoff, Trabuc, Zutter and Mela and began painting as an autodidact, while earning a living in advertising and decoration.

His first exhibition dates from 1956. Then, from 1957, Jean Arène left the city for the countryside, which served as his base for many trips, often hitchhiking and backpacking, but always accompanied by a pencil and a sketchbook: Spain, Morocco in 1957, West Africa in 1960, (followed by an exhibition in Dakar), Northern Europe (Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Lapland , Lofoten, Netherlands and Belgium) In 1963 a trip to Tunisia. Then in 1966 his first retrospective in Toulon.

In 1970 Arène left for the United States and Mexico, followed two years later by West Africa again: Tassili, the Sahara and Algeria. He exhibited extensively in Provence and the Gard: Aix-en-Provence, Uzès, Avignon, La Ciotat and Cassis. But his travels also led him to exhibit abroad: Dakar, Ouagadougou, French cultural centres in Algeria, Morocco and Indonesia, where he also started preparing one of his books which later became a series.