Albert Besnard

In the Ashes (Dans les Cendres)

Maker

Albert Besnard (French, 1849-1934)

Title

In the Ashes (Dans les Cendres)

Year

1887

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

etching, drypoint, Roulette

Supports

Dimensions

Image/plate: 42.7 x 31.4 cm (16 13/16 x 12 3/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Stamped with the collector's mark of Eugène Daurand Forgues (1857-1933; Lugt 743a)

Identification

State

iii/iii

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum purchase: gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth

Object Number

53.328

Type

Exhibition History

Altered States
Etching in Late 19th-Century Paris
Jun 30, 2017 – Dec 03, 2017

Label copy

Besnard used the intimacy of etching to explore larger social issues, as seen in this image of an impoverished young woman crouched before a diminishing fire. In the original print, seen at left, the figure was contrasted visually and thematically with the finely dressed woman looking upward into the night sky.

After printing several impressions, Besnard dramatically altered the composition by physically cutting off the top and left side of the copper plate, creating a realistic, rather than symbolic, image of poverty.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Albert Besnard (French, 1849-1934)
In the Ashes (Dans les Cendres), 1887
Etching, drypoint, and roulette on paper
Image/plate: 42.7 x 31.4 cm (16 13/16 x 12 3/8 inches)
Museum purchase: gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth 53.328

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