Head of a Young Man (Study for L'Oiseau de passage)

1853

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

Head of a Young Man (Study for L'Oiseau de passage) is a 1853 by Paul Gavarni, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Paul Gavarni
When & what style?: 1853 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a young man's head in this drawing. He looks straight at you with a calm face. This study was made for a lithograph about Parisian courtesans, and the title "L'Oiseau de passage" refers to the young man as a casual lover. You can learn more about the artist who created this work at the museum where it's kept, The Cleveland Museum of Art.

The story of this work

Overview

Paul Gavarni made this drawing as a study for L'Oiseau de passage (The Bird of Passage), one of the lithographs in a series on Parisian courtesans that he produced for the newspaper Paris . The lithograph's title, L'Oiseau de passage , must refer to the young man since messieurs de passage were casual lovers a courtesan might take on to supplement her protector's regular support. This drawing was once part of the important collection of the artist's work amassed by the writers Edmond (1822–1896) and Jules (1830–1870) de Goncourt. The Goncourts believed Gavarni captured the essence of…

Read the full account in the museum source.