Pierre Bonnard Aquatint By Jacques Villon Woman With Dog

Aquatint after the work of Pierre Bonnard. Test drawn by calcography after the tests for Bernheim-Jeune. This work is listed under number E643 in the catalog raisonné "Jacques Villon - Les Estampes et les Illustrations par Ginestet et Pouillon (Graphic arts and crafts)". Under glass, under marie-louise, in a baguette frame. Dimensions at sight, 51x26 cm. Dimensions of the board 50.2x24.5 cm. Frame dimensions 79x47 cm. Jacques Villon (1875-1963) is one of the greatest engravers of the 20th century. World famous, his works are kept in the largest museums in the world. Gaston Emile Duchamp is part of a wealthy and very artistic family. His brothers, including Marcel Duchamp, would become renowned artists, just like his sister. For all the children of the family, the grandfather Emile Nicolle is an artistic landmark because he becomes a painter and engraver. He introduced Gaston to printmaking. To distinguish himself from his brothers and sister, Gaston Duchamp chose Jacques Villon as his pseudonym, in homage to the medieval poet François Villon. After settling in 1894 with his brother Raymond in Montmartre, Jacques Villon studied law at the University of Paris, according to his father's wishes. At the same time as his studies, he took courses at the Ecole des Beaux-arts and attended Cormon's studio where the influences of Gauguin, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec linger in the air. His father accepts that he abandons his law studies to devote himself to art and helps him financially. Collaborations are born with Parisian magazines such as "Le Chat Noir", where Villon publishes cartoons. During his military service, his art leaned towards the satirical, therefore aimed at more extreme newspapers "Le Rire" or "Le Gil-Blas". Thanks to his grandfather, Jacques Villon practices engraving with passion. In the early 1900s, he began to make a name for himself in the capital, found a publisher, Edmond Sagot, produced posters for cabarets, and finally exhibited at the Salons. It was in 1904 that the engraver became a member of the Salon and a member of the Committee of the drawing section. His first exhibition takes place alongside his brother Raymond and his sculptures. Then, the role of painting becomes more important, following his meeting with Frantisek Kupka, with a style that approaches cubism. To develop his work and find his personality, the artist often goes to the workshops of Puteaux, which is the place of the avant-garde, where we can find Apollinaire, Picabia or even Delaunay. They reflect together on the movement of Picasso and Braque. Called the “Puteaux Group”, the artists seek a way to link tradition and modernity with Cubism. This group is absolutely not well seen by the press, and much criticized. Moreover, several demonstrations of these artists created a scandal. The most artistically significant event in the life of Jacques Villon was his participation in the “Armory Show” in New York in 1913. After being wounded in the war and having lost his brother Raymond there, Jacques Villon returned to his studio in Puteaux and goes from cubism to the abstract, in engraving and painting. Even if his notoriety was initially stronger in the United States than in France, official recognition in his native country was the purchase of two of his engravings for the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Jacques Villon received diplomas, prizes, and became Chevalier then Grand Chevalier of the Legion of Honor… The second half of the 1930s saw Villon take off.