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Albert Besnard

In the Ashes (Dans les Cendres), 1887

Description

Maker

Title

In the Ashes (Dans les Cendres)

Year

1887

Medium

Etching, drypoint, and roulette on paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

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

Type

Credit

Museum purchase: gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth

Object Number

53.328

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Altered States

June 30 - December 3, 2017

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.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is In the Ashes (Dans les Cendres) with the accession number of 53.328. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.