A countryside picnic in the sun

ca. 1882

Not on view

In 1882, Marie Bracquemond published drawings corresponding to each month of the year in "La Vie moderne," an illustrated weekly founded by George Charpentier, a champion of the Impressionists. Although, it does not appear to have been reproduced, this drawing of a late summer scene relates closely to that series in its style and format. Against a striking sky patterned with clouds, a couple lounges in the long grass of a gently sloping hillside. In contre-jour, the woman gazes outward as she pulls a bottle of wine from her picnic basket and a butterfly flits past her proper left shoulder. This scene of plein-air leisure with its exploration of lighting effects and evocation of the fleeting moment embodies many of the qualities associated with the Impressionist aesthetic. Marie exhibited with the Impressionists in 1879, 1880, and 1886, and was one of only three women to do so.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: A countryside picnic in the sun
Artist: Marie Bracquemond (French, Argenton-en-Landunvez 1841–1916 Sèvres)
Date: ca. 1882
Medium: Graphite, charcoal, and red chalk
Dimensions: Sheet: 15 15/16 × 21 1/4 in. (40.5 × 54 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Stewart S. MacDermott Fund, 2024
Object Number: 2024.621
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Marie Bracquemond

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Self-portrait (recto); Study for a self-portrait (verso), Marie Bracquemond French, Charcoal, brown wash, and white gouache (recto); graphite (verso) — Self-portrait (recto); Study for a self-portrait (verso)
Marie Bracquemond
ca. 1870

Portrait of Mlle Quivoron, Marie Bracquemond French, Etching, drypoint — Portrait of Mlle Quivoron
Marie Bracquemond
1860–1914

Presentation Drawing of "The Statue of Liberty Illuminating the World", Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi French, Charcoal, heightened with white chalk — Presentation Drawing of "The Statue of Liberty Illuminating the World"
Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
1875

Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat, Edgar Degas French, Graphite and black chalk — Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat
Edgar Degas
Edouard Manet
ca. 1868

Armor, Odilon Redon French, Charcoal and conté crayon — Armor
Odilon Redon
1891

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