Artwork

La Place des Martyrs et La Taverne du Bagne (The Place des Martyrs and the Jailhouse Tavern)

La Place des Martyrs et La Taverne du Bagne (The Place des Martyrs and the Jailhouse Tavern) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix-Hilaire Buhot. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:by later hand, lower right below plate mark in graphite: premier état; lower right in plate: FELIX BUHOT_Nov._1885; lower center with red stamp: FB (Lugt 977); lower right in plate (vertically): O Forçats!; across bottom in plate: Pendant ... labeurs / Eternels ... chaines / Ayant ... gehennes / Et ... rancoeurs / O Forçats! ... inspire / C'est ... désepoirs / Ici ... rire / Et ... comptoirs; by later hand, lower left in graphite: Cat 163 I / La Taverne du Bagne; by later hand, lower center in graphite: 614003; by later hand, upper right in graphite: R741; by later hand, lower right in graphite: [tls-]; by later hand, lower left verso in graphite: 836/[?]; by later hand, right verso in graphite: [... et Dercioux jaune et le ... ]

About this work

Overview

La Place des Martyrs et La Taverne du Bagne is a print by Félix-Hilaire Buhot, executed in 1885, combining multiple techniques to depict a nocturnal street scene.

Subject & Meaning

The print captures a bustling nighttime scene in Place des Martyrs, with figures converging on the 'Taverne du Bagne', a dimly lit, antiquated building. The atmosphere is enhanced by the depiction of a recently rained-upon street, lined with trees, and the old, fenced tavern.

Technique & Style

Buhot employed a range of printmaking techniques: etching, aquatint, lift-ground aquatint, drypoint, roulette, and burnishing, on cream laid paper. The expressive use of rough lines conveys the crowd's dynamic movement, while dark tones and grainy textures evoke an eerie, antiquated ambiance.

History & Provenance

Created in 1885, specific provenance details are not provided in the available information.

Context

The work reflects late 19th-century interests in nocturnal urban landscapes and the everyday life of common people, characteristic of certain Impressionist and Realist themes, though Buhot's style leans towards a more expressive, less naturalistic interpretation.

Legacy

While specific legacy details of this piece are not provided, Buhot's innovative multi-technique approach in printmaking contributed to the evolution of the medium in the late 19th century.