XOS8984295
Jeune femme nue (Dummy title); L'Innocence (Nom d'usage)Gautier, ThéophileA student in Rioult's studio between 1829 and 1830, Théophile Gautier hesitated in his youth between painting and writing. In May 1831, Gautier painted a picture of a young girl, dressed simply in a translucent cloth tied around her hips, her head bent, eyes downcast, crowned with daisies. In her right hand, she holds a bouquet of flowers, among which hides a lizard, a possible allegory of Innocence. In his catalog of Gautier's "L'Oeuvre peint, dessiné et gravé" (1877), Bergerat mentions an "Innocence" dated 1827, which Gautier is said to have offered to the bookseller Lucile Damarin. His description differs in one respect, however: "She walks along a path lined with wild flowers and grasses, and at her feet a symbolic snake unfurls". The painting in the Maison de Balzac shows a young girl at mid-leg, and the canvas does not appear to have been cut at knee level. Is it the same work? Was this a favorite subject of Gautier's? As with other works from Gautier's youth, the painting shows some awkwardness of proportion, particularly in the rendering of the neck and shoulders, and especially the bust.Signature - Signed and dated lower right: "théophile gautier / Mai 1831".Title of work - Emile Bergerat, in his catalog of Théophile Gautier's painted, drawn and engraved works, mentions "L'innocence" at number 19. Oil composition, natural size. It is a nude figure, seen from the front, of a young blonde girl. She is crowned with daisies; in her right hand, which hangs along her body, she holds a bouquet of the same flowers, among which a lizard is hidden. She walks along a path lined with wild flowers and grasses, and a symbolic snake unfurls at her feet "This title does not fit the current state of the work.Inventory number: BAL 98-210
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