Artwork
Les cygnes
Les cygnes is a print by the Impressionist artist Henri-Charles Guérard. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1895, Les cygnes is a print by French artist Henri‑Charles Guérard. Executed in a light‑green carton‑gravé on wove paper, the work measures a modest size and exemplifies Guérard’s focus on graphic reproduction during the final decades of the nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents two swans gliding across a tranquil surface. Their bodies are rendered with gentle, flowing lines that suggest movement without detailing feathers, inviting a calm, contemplative response rather than narrative drama.
Technique & Style
Guérard employed the carton‑gravé method, a form of relief printing where a design is cut into a cardboard matrix, inked, and then pressed onto paper. The choice of a pale green pigment and the soft, almost scribbled contours give the composition a subtle, atmospheric quality characteristic of his printmaking practice.
History & Provenance
Produced in Paris at a time when Guérard was actively exploring etching and lithography, the print reflects the artist’s engagement with emerging graphic techniques. While specific ownership records are limited, the work remains catalogued among his late‑nineteenth‑century prints and is referenced in scholarly surveys of French print culture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Henri Charles Guérard (26 April 1846, Paris - 24 March 1897, Paris) was a French painter and printmaker, particularly in etching and lithography.
