Collection of the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA.
1986.2.52
Faucheurs à Damvillers
1879 (Date created)
Ink
Etching
Prints
15 in W
x
11 in H
(Paper)
French
Bastien-Lepage represents peasants at their work in the midst of their humble lives, continuing the focus of artists like Courbet and Millet. His oil, "Les Foins (Grain)," painted in 1877, hangs in the Musée d'Orsay; like "Faucheurs," it deals with workers in the fields. Bastien-Lepage was praised by the critic Charles Bigot in he 1880s for his superior technical ability. Like many of his contemporaries, Bigot evaluated the success of artists of this period from the standpoint of the artist's mastery of combining the individualistic approach with traditional ideals. Thus, Bastien-Lepage succeeded where Manet and the more progressive Impressionists failed. Today's standards disagree with this conservative judgement, but Bastien-Lepage is significant as a link in the evolution of French artistic expression and public taste. -From an exhibition label by Lee Stevenson
In Collection
Anonymous Gift (see Notes)
Please note that cataloging is ongoing and that some information may not be complete.