Gardien (Keeper) Painting

Guy Joseph Marie de Villardi comte de Montlaur (born 9 September 1918, Biarritz— died 10 August 1977, Garches) was a French painter[1] from the Languedoc family of Montlaur.[2] He was a resistance fighter in WW2, he landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944 with the Kieffer Commandos, he participated in the Battle of Normandy and landed again in Holland on 1 November 1944.[3] Montlaur's paintings were influenced by the great classical works such as those by Paolo Uccello, Ingres, Delacroix and later Kandinsky. One can define four styles characterising the evolution of Montlaur's work: cubism immediately post-war, geometric abstraction from 1949, abstract expressionism from 1955 and finally lyrical abstraction around 1960, once he had achieved the summit of his art and technique. His work was often mystical, sometimes religious, and was marked by the terrible memories of his wartime experiences.