Emile Noirot – The Absent-minded Laundress – Watercolor And Gouache – Signed And Dated

The Absent-Minded Laundress,
Watercolor and white gouache highlights on beige paper,
Signed and dated lower right "E. Noirot 1885",
24 × 17 cm.

This delicate watercolor reveals a little-known aspect of the talent of Émile Noirot, a painter renowned for his monumental Loire landscapes and seascapes. Created in 1885, this work demonstrates a rare foray into narrative and intimate genre painting.

The artist depicts with finesse and humor a young laundress caught in a moment of reverie. Dressed in a pink dress and wearing a bonnet, she stands before her work table, iron in hand, seemingly absorbed in her thoughts. The smoke discreetly escaping from the laundry being ironed betrays her distraction: the fabric is burning beneath the forgotten iron.

The key to this scene lies in the allegorical vision rising from the window on the left: a graceful flight of winged cherubs bearing floral garlands. These mischievous putti embody the romantic thoughts that distract the young woman from her domestic chores. Noirot thus creates a composition with a double meaning, blending the realism of the bourgeois interior with poetic fantasy.

The virtuoso treatment of the watercolor, with its reserved whites and gouache highlights, creates subtle luminous effects on the fabrics and the porcelain of the monumental vase in the foreground. The carved Louis XV-style cabinet completes this opulent setting.

The work is in very good condition. It is housed in a late 19th-century gilt and stuccoed wooden frame, which shows several instances of retouching.

The artist
Benoît Émile Noirot, was born on June 5, 1853, in Roanne, in the Loire region. He was initially taught by his father, himself a painter and lithographer. This family background profoundly influenced his artistic vocation.

In 1874, the young artist went to Paris to further his training. There, he was influenced by the Barbizon School, particularly by Louis Français and Charles-François Daubigny, and focused on plein air landscape painting. This Parisian period shaped his technique and artistic sensibility.
Noirot returned to Roanne in 1887. Appointed painter to the Ministry of the Navy, he gained national recognition while remaining true to his roots.

His work demonstrates remarkable diversity. A great traveler, he explored the English Channel coast, Brittany, Normandy, Venice, Provence, the Alps, and the Velay region. He excelled in seascapes, waterscapes, and monumental compositions.
His works garnered prestigious awards: in 1889, "The Rock of the Madonna" received an honorable mention at the Universal Exhibition; in 1893, "The Leap from the Perron" represented France in Chicago, and "Moonrise at Saint-Maurice" won a second-class medal at the Salon Millon.

Classified among the Romantic Realists, on the fringes of Impressionism, Noirot developed a meticulous observation of nature. He died on June 5, 1924, in Saint-Germain-des-Fossés, Allier, leaving behind a vast and varied body of work.

Artwork on display at the gallery (07240).
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