Henri Jules Guinier, Art Nouveau Lithograph, Portrait, "gentle Night," Symbolist, Breton, Champenois

L'ESTAMPE MODERNE Henri (Henri-Jules) GUINIER (1867–1927) Gentle Night: 1899 (L'Estampe Moderne series, fin-de-siècle) original lithograph (black) printed on blue laid paper, laid down on a heavy, imitation-Japan type support. Publishers/printer: Imprimerie Champenois, for Ch. Masson & H. Piazza, Paris. Signature: “H. Guinier” signed in the plate (visible lower right in the image) + handwritten identification in pencil on the margin (Guinier / Gentle Night). Edition mark: blind stamp in the lower margin (L'Estampe Moderne stamp, listed as Lugt 2790 in sales catalogs). In a bluish twilight tone, a young woman, her head encircled by foliage (allusion to a woodland/Celtic figure), stands out against a background of tree trunks and Branches; in the distance, a white sail glides like a memory. The soft modeling of the face and the almost ornamental network of trees create an atmosphere of suspended intimacy: a scene less narrative than meditative, where nature becomes a psychic sanctuary. The print is said to be inspired by a poem by Anatole Le Braz. This direct link to a major Breton writer anchors the image in the fin-de-siècle "Celtic" imagination (literature, legends, nocturnes), at the border of Symbolism and Art Nouveau: the female figure is less a portrait than a presence, almost an allegory of evening. Dimensions: Blue sheet size 32 cm x 27 cm, overall 41 cm x 30.5 cm. Good overall image condition. Foxing and yellowing of the mounting surface, especially in the margins; small marks and discreet creases from use. Clearly legible blind stamp. Henri (Henri-Jules) Guinier (1867–1927) was a French painter born in Paris and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine. A student of Benjamin Constant and then Jules Lefebvre, he enjoyed a successful career within the official art world, exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1891 to 1926. Although he worked between Paris and Neuilly, his work largely encompassed Brittany (ports, sailors, female portraits, costumes), with a notable focus on Concarneau; he is notably presented as president of the Union artistique des Amis de Concarneau (Artistic Union of the Friends of Concarneau). A retrospective exhibition was dedicated to him at the Musée du Faouët (June 15 – October 5, 2008). In the print *Nuit douce* (Sweet Night), created for *L'Estampe Moderne*, Guinier condenses this fin-de-siècle taste for the feminine figure as an “idea” and the mental landscape, nourished here by a text by Anatole Le Braz: literary Brittany, symbolist night, and the contained sensuality of an image conceived as a poem. Henri Guinier, H. Guinier, Henri Jules Guinier, *Nuit douce*, *L'Estampe Moderne*, modern print, original lithograph, 19th-century lithograph, lithograph 1899, January 1899, fin de siècle, symbolism, symbolist, Breton symbolism, Symbolist Brittany, Breton art, School of Brittany, Concarneau, Beuzec-Conq, Bigouden region, Breton woman, Breton muse, Anatole Le Braz, Breton poetry, Celticism, imaginary Celtic, Breton legends, nocturne, night, chiaroscuro, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Secession, woman with foliage, wreath of leaves, female portrait, allegorical figure, allegory, mystery, melancholy, collectible print, fine impression, blue laid paper, blue laid paper, blue paper, applied chine collé, chine collé, on China paper, on Japan paper, imitation Japan paper, heavy paper, publisher's mount, publisher's sheet, blind stamp, blind seal, embossing, Lugt 2790, signature in the plate, signed in the plate, title in pencil, titled in pencil, antique print, Art Nouveau, Belle Époque, Champenois print, Champenois Printing House, Ch. Masson, H. Piazza, Piazza, Masson, art magazine, print portfolio, art publication, collector, wall decor, vintage decor, Art Nouveau decor, Symbolist decor, antique engraving, antique print, antique print, French lithograph, original lithograph, 19th century print, 1900s print, Salon des Artistes Français, Benjamin Constant student, Jules Lefebvre student, Musée d'Orsay artist, Musée du Faouët, French art, rare print, authentic print, antique print, work on paper, foxing, age patina, margin, large format, 40x31, portrait with gaze, dreamy woman, wooded landscape, trees, sail, boat, distant sea, Brittany sea, symbolist print, art nouveau print, print collection, collector's gift, gallery, antique dealer, eBay art, print to frame, engraving to frame, living room decor, office decor, library decor, fin de siècle art, original print edition, signed print, antique lithograph, collectible lithograph.