Frontispiece for Champfleury's "Les Amis de la Nature"
Original title: Frontispiece for Champfleury's "Les Amis de la Nature"
kurzbeschreibung
An oval portrait of a bearded man, encircled by flowers, leaves and grapes, forms the frontispiece that Félix Bracquemond etched in 1859 for Champfleury's 'Les Amis de la Nature'. This impression is the fourth state of four. The print sets an ornamental arrangement alongside botanical motifs and everyday objects.
Description
A bearded man in a suit looks out from an oval portrait frame edged with decoration. Around it cluster flowers, leaves, grapes and bouquets. Books, a chair and a pair of spectacles can be made out behind, while above the frame a window opens onto a garden with trees and a fountain. The layout is symmetrical and kept in shades of grey; light falling from above picks out the textures of leaves and objects.
Context
Champfleury's publication 'Les Amis de la Nature' commissioned the frontispiece in 1859. Bracquemond, then an emerging etcher, had joined the realist circle around Champfleury. The work belongs among his early prints and shows his ambition to render nature in faithful detail. Reworkings in the fourth state point to careful development of the plate.
Impact
The symmetrical arrangement and delicate linework give the sheet a quiet, balanced presence. Portrait, natural motifs and interior merge into an intimate atmosphere that supports the book's literary character. The restrained monochrome grey palette underlines the graphic quality of the etching.
Technique
Made by etching, the work is an etching on paper. Fine lines and hatching model shadows and textures. The fourth state shows a mature plate that, after several reworkings, has reached a high level of detail.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)