Paul-César Helleu, Asleep, c. 1897
Giovanni Boldiniexpand_more
Drypoint, printed on blue antique laid paperexpand_more
The John E. Andrus III Endowment Fundexpand_more 2015.90.4
Not on Viewexpand_more
Giovanni Boldini was one of the great society portraitists of the late 19th-century. Many of his friends were also prominent artists. Edgar Degas led him to experiment with printmaking, which became a private, experimental avocation. Here he depicts another society artist, Paul-César Helleu, asleep. In this small, personal creation, we see Boldini’s sophisticated fluency. Nervous, quick undulating strokes impart dynamism even to this quiet subject. He laid out the composition with contrasting lines—some rectilinear, others in sinuous curves. He then shaded the figure with darting, incisive hatching. The effect is so radical and free that it takes one a moment to comprehend the figure amid all the abstracted action. The experimental character of the portrait is heightened by Boldini’s selection of antique bluish paper on which to print it.
Details
- Title
- Paul-César Helleu, Asleep
- Artist Life
- 1842–1931
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.90.4
- Provenance
- Sold Bassenge, Berlin, December 1, 2006, lot 5645. Sold Ader, Paris, May 28, 2015, lot 86. (James Bergquist, Boston)
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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