Artwork
Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils Examining a Painting
Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils Examining a Painting is an unspecified painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1873 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in 1873, this work is classified as a painting by Edgar Degas. The physical support measures 27.0 cm in height and 34.0 cm in width. Executed in France, the piece depicts Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils examining a painting, reflecting Degas's focus on artistic observation and interior scenes. The work is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The work was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it entered their collection in 1958 under the accession number 1958.
Edgar Degas created the painting Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils Examining a Painting in 1873 in France. The work was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it entered their collection in 1958 under the accession number 1958.25. No further details regarding the original commission, specific ownership chain prior to the museum, or the precise circumstances of its creation are provided in the available records.
Overview
Edgar Degas painted Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils Examining a Painting in 1873. The canvas, now part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, captures a quiet interior scene in which two men are closely studying a work on an easel. The composition is rendered in muted tones, with the surrounding walls and a doorway receding into shadow.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts two male figures, both dressed in dark attire, leaning over a flat surface supported by an easel. Their attention is directed toward the unseen artwork, emphasizing the act of observation rather than the object itself. By focusing on the gestures of the hands and the posture of the viewers, Degas highlights the collaborative nature of artistic critique.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
Monet that reads
Two Men
In the painter's studio
The Englishman (William Tom Warrener, 1861–1934) at the Moulin Rouge
In the painter's studio
The Reading
Advice to a Young Artist
Evening Train (Le Train du Soir)
Fumeur et Buveur d'absinthe
The Card Players
In the Studio (Gari Melchers and Hugo Reisinger)- Paul Lafond and Alphonse Cherfils Examining a Painting