Jules Bastien-Lepage

Art market, Paris, 1985.

M.- M. Aubrun, Jules Bastien-Lepage 1848-1884. Catalogue raisonné de l'Œuvre, Paris 1985, p. 136, no. 172 bis.

Published by Marie-Madeleine Aubrun in her catalogue raisonné of the artist’s works as no. 172bis, this canvas is described there as an ‘admirable sketch which very closely anticipates the final work’ (our translation). However, bearing in mind the presence of a signature in the lower left, there are good reasons for questioning the exact nature of this important rediscovery. Is it really a preparatory work for Bastien-Lepage’s most famous painting, completed in 1878 and bought by the French State following the artist’s premature death, or is it rather, as the signature suggests, a second version, either made to sell or commissioned by a collector after the resounding success of the first version?

This would not be a rare event: on several occasions Bastien-Lepage created different versions of compositions that had met with popular and critical success. For example, the first version of Poor Fauvette, dated 1881 (Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; inv. 1323), was hugely popular in the UK and was immediately followed by a second version, probably commissioned by an enthusiastic connoisseur (London, Pyms Gallery).

In the present case, the composition displays some variations from the painting in the Musée d’Orsay, especially the slightly wider framing which leaves some extra space on both the right and left of the scene. The more summary, vigorous brushstroke in the present version also departs from the more mellow treatment of the painting acquired by the French State in 1885.