Choisy-le-Roi, November 21st 1852 – November 25th 1921, Ecouen
Born into a family of glass and earthenware workers established in Choisy-le-Roi, he began his artistic career as a ceramic painter in Choisy-le-Roi and went to Limoges, his main theme being flowers, where he excelled. He became a student of Emile Bellet and Justin Marie Lequien (1796-1882). He came to Ecouen late, at a time when the artistic movement had lost much of its strength and, as a result, he was not the best known.
He presented still lifes painted on earthenware at the Paris salons in 1882 and 1883. These compositions are six in number. Each real one consists of four tiles aligned horizontally and illustrated with floral motifs. He then exhibited at the salons from 1890 to 1907 paintings and watercolors devoted almost exclusively to floral representations.
Remaining in Paris with his wife Anna Clauss, they moved to Ecouen in 1906, at 10, rue Jacques-Yvon, where one can see tiles with slightly faded colors decorating the top of the windows. That same year, he participated in the Salon des Artistes Français with the Coin de Parc, which earned him honors and remains the most famous of his paintings.
During his lifetime, Gardon offered to donate one of his works to the city, and the council accepted. Later, in 1922, his wife offered a watercolor and his portrait painted by Duffaud to the town of Ecouen.
For further information, please read the book “L’Ecole d’Ecouen, une colonie de peintres au XIXe siècle” (bilingual French-English).