The Outdoor Painter — A Caricatural Self-portrait In étretat — Théophile Blanchard

In this small pencil drawing, full of charming liveliness and humor, Théophile Blanchard sketches himself walking during a stay in Étretat in 1847—just two years before his untimely death.

The slender, slightly disjointed figure, rendered in a deliberately caricatured style, strides forward with determined, long strides: a wide-brimmed hat pulled down over his nose, a palette under his arm, brushes and a mahlstick slung over his shoulder, and a large travel bag in his hand. At his feet, sketched with a single stroke, a few rocks and a miniature windmill suggest the Normandy landscape.

The drawing is framed by a double line drawn with a ruler directly on the sheet of paper, like a vignette taken from a travel journal—a common practice among Romantic artists who traveled throughout France in search of picturesque sites.

The line is lively, economical, and effective: in just a few strokes, Blanchard conveys everything about the life of the itinerant painter of his time. This sheet is a rare document: a personal page torn from the sketchbook of an artist who died at age 27, created on one of the Normandy coasts that would, a few decades later, inspire the Impressionists.

Very good condition (minimal foxing)
Dimensions:
17 cm × 11 cm