Existing comment:
Frederic Bazille
The Artist's Studio, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1867
Painted in tones of gray with highlights of white and gold, this work illustrates Bazille's impressionistic tendencies: loose brushstrokes, commonplace subject matter, and a photograph-like cropping of the composition. The warming stove, bench, easel, and palette invite the viewer into the studio of the artist occupied in the Sixth Arrondissement of Paris from July 1866 to December 1867. The large framed painting on the easel may be Bazille's colorful Terrace at Meric (1866-67), which had just been rejected from the 1867 Salon. This painting (now at the Musee du Petit-Palais in Geneva, Switzerland) depicts the Bazille family on the terrace of their country home near Montpellier. The bright light and vibrant color of that outdoor scene contrasted with the subdued tones in this depiction of Bazille's studio show the artist's considerable range. |