1880
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Madeleine Lerolle and Her Daughter Yvonne is a 1880 unspecified by Paul-Albert Besnard, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman and a young girl sit close together in a sunlit studio. The woman’s hand rests on the girl’s shoulder, and both look straight at us. The painting was made in the home of another artist—Besnard’s friend. The tipped easel and open portfolios show this is a working space, not just a pretty scene. The way the light falls on their faces feels casual, like a snapshot. To see how other artists painted family moments, look up *subject: france, 19th century, mod euro*.
Albert Besnard was a good friend of fellow artist Henri Lerolle, whose wife Madeleine and daughter Yvonne are the subjects of this double portrait set in a studio. The artist’s profession is referenced in the large portfolios of drawings at lower right, and the easel at upper left, which displays a canvas tipped forward at an unusual angle. The canvas has been strapped to the easel in this position so the artist can more easily paint while seated.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Paul-Albert Besnard (1849–1934) was a French artist, born in 7th arrondissement of Paris.
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