Auguste Gérardin – Portrait Of A Lady, Signed Pencil Drawing, Art Nouveau
Artist: Auguste Gérardin
AUGUSTE GÉRARDIN
MULHOUSE 1849 – 1933 PARIS
PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Pencil on paper, signed “Souvenir amical A. Gérardin”
24 x 19 cm / 9.4 x 7.5 in (framed 37 x 30 cm / 14.6 x 11.8 in)
PROVENANCE
Private collection, France.
What compels an artist to turn a portrait into a personal gift?
Inscribed “Souvenir amical”, this refined drawing points to a gesture of intimacy — far removed from the formal commissions that typically define an illustrator’s career.
Executed in the early 20th century by Auguste Gérardin, one of the most accomplished French illustrators of his time, the work belongs to the more private sphere of his production. Rather than a preparatory study, it suggests the presence of a specific individual — likely someone from the artist’s immediate circle — observed with a sensitivity that exceeds purely professional intent.
At the same time, Gérardin’s experience as an illustrator subtly informs the image. The sitter does not appear in contemporary dress, but in a gently stylised costume evoking the romantic sensibility of an earlier age. This slight distance — almost theatrical — reveals how the illustrator transforms reality: not by copying it, but by reinterpreting it through memory and imagination.
MULHOUSE 1849 – 1933 PARIS
PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Pencil on paper, signed “Souvenir amical A. Gérardin”
24 x 19 cm / 9.4 x 7.5 in (framed 37 x 30 cm / 14.6 x 11.8 in)
PROVENANCE
Private collection, France.
What compels an artist to turn a portrait into a personal gift?
Inscribed “Souvenir amical”, this refined drawing points to a gesture of intimacy — far removed from the formal commissions that typically define an illustrator’s career.
Executed in the early 20th century by Auguste Gérardin, one of the most accomplished French illustrators of his time, the work belongs to the more private sphere of his production. Rather than a preparatory study, it suggests the presence of a specific individual — likely someone from the artist’s immediate circle — observed with a sensitivity that exceeds purely professional intent.
At the same time, Gérardin’s experience as an illustrator subtly informs the image. The sitter does not appear in contemporary dress, but in a gently stylised costume evoking the romantic sensibility of an earlier age. This slight distance — almost theatrical — reveals how the illustrator transforms reality: not by copying it, but by reinterpreting it through memory and imagination.
150 €
Period: 20th century
Style: Art Nouveau
Condition: Good condition
Material: Water color
Length: 19
Height: 24
Reference (ID): 977723
Availability: In stock
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