A stab

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Note added at 48 mins (2009-03-06 13:50:17 GMT)
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'it' being the enseignement. I imagine this means he was an excellent painter himself - without peer even - who based his teaching on these skills.

I think the idea is that art (le métier) cannot be questioned (irréfragable), which is what makes it possible to be an artist.

'En' refers to 'métier' IMO.

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-03-06 14:03:40 GMT)
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I think "métier" is referring to his profession as an artist, not as a teacher. Fred Bloggs acquires skills as an artist, not as a teacher - so the "en" in the second sentence also refers to "art".

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-03-06 14:07:29 GMT)
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No, I've got it now (I think). He had unquestionable talent as an artist which made him a good teacher - and Fred Bloggs a good artist...

This could mean that he might not have been a trained educator, but his professional skills as a painter were the basis of his success as a teacher.

*

It's as much nonsense in English as in French unless we can know what we are talking about! What precedes this text? Does "en" refer back to something previous or to "enseignement", etc.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2009-03-06 16:45:11 GMT)
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OK, so "en" has to refer to "enseignement". The suggestion therefore is that he is not - horror of horrors - a fully trained art teacher knowing all the theory, as any Frenchman would expect an art teacher to be, just a smart bloke who knows how to paint (and convey his skills, presumably). How unFrench! It's this cultural difference as much as anything that makes the meaning difficult to capture (esp. without context ;-) ).

So we have, in simple terms, "His liberal teaching was based on - and made possible by - an unquestionably high level of skill and experience"

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Note added at 3 hrs (2009-03-06 16:48:36 GMT)
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Which really makes the bloke sound rather ordinary, compared to the French, where I tend to see him sitting on Apollo's right ....

unimpeachable in the sense of "beyond doubt or reproach", and technique in the sense of "the manner and skill with which artists employ their tools and materials to achieve a predetermined expressive effect" (see reference)

Further to what's already been discussed, the artist probably lacks actual teaching credentials, thus casting doubt (for the French, as Bourth says) on his qualifications or even ability to effectively teach. This notion is reinforced by the mention of his "enseignement liberal", or freewheeling teaching methods, in contrast to his technique, on which no doubt can be cast. "Irrefragable" is an interesting choice of words with its legal basis and emphasizes the flawlessness of the technique which in the end made him an effective teacher.

"flawless technique" may also be an option for that matter...

One of those you have to play around with quite a bit if you want to have any street cred! I have added to the start and end of the sentence :

"The foundations of [his[ teaching lie in a veritable trade which make it possible to accomplish the skills required."

You may wish to chop and change it further to fit your particular rendering.





"Son enseignement libéral est fondé sur un métier irréfragable qui en permet l'accomplissement."

http://www.mediadico.com/dictionnaire/synonymes/irrefragable...

> irréfragable = irréfutable, irrécusable, éclatant, certain, inattaquable, incontestable, catégorique, démontré, établi, évident, exact, formel, indiscutable, invincible, péremptoire, notoire, prouvé, sûr, véridique, véritable, vrai, avéré.