French School XIXth, Study Of Breton Peasants And Bretons, Pencil And Pen Drawing

Drawing in pencil and pen (black ink)
French school of the 19th century possibly attributable to François Hippolyte Lalaisse (1812-1884), traveling painter-illustrator, pupil of Charlet and influenced by Géricault, to whom we owe excellent drawings chronicling Brittany, the Nantes publishers Charpentier commissioned him to illustrate a collection of costumes from Brittany. Lalaisse taught drawing at the Ecole Royale Polytechnique from 1839 to 1877.
He exhibited at the Salon from 1835. His work is preserved in several national museums. The costumes represented in this study are reminiscent of his drawings of peasants from Finistère. Astonishing peculiarity, some Bigoudenes seem to wear a hat, yet the prerogative of men. While the composition presents the characters, not without jokes, aligned like menhirs. Their tall, slender silhouette heralds modern art and its emancipation from realistic academic representation.
Dimensions: with the frame: 28.3cm x 22.8cm / drawing only: 20cm x 13.8cm