Nicolas PITOT « Comblain-au-Pont » painting oil on canvas

Born in 1890 and died in 1971, he was a member of the Ecole Liégeoise du Paysage. Trained at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Liège, he painted the districts of the Cité ardente, its bridges, the banks of the Meuse and industrial landscapes. But, attracted by the tranquillity of the countryside, he left the city to settle in Comblain-au-Pont. The views of the village, the neighbouring valleys, the landscapes along the Ourthe, nearby villages such as Anthisnes and rural life were to inspire him deeply. Resolutely neo-impressionist, he superimposed his brushstrokes, capturing both spring and winter moods. Many of his canvases depict scenes from everyday life, in which the stylised figures remain very natural. Nicolas Pitot was a painter by trade and lived solely from his brush. He was therefore productive, and most families in the region had their own "Pitot". Some admirers still have dozens of his paintings. Some have also been acquired by the Boverie and Vie Wallonne museums.