Albert Besnard
Crossing the Bridge
1879-1889
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Albert Besnard
Crossing the Bridge
1879-1889
Physical Qualities
Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite on paper, Sheet: 350 x 250 mm. (13 3/4 x 9 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
The George A. Lucas Collection, purchased with funds from the State of Maryland, Laurence and Stella Bendann Fund, and contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations throughout the Baltimore community
Object Number
1996.48.18813
The winner of the coveted Prix de Rome in 1874, Paul-Albert Besnard straddled the disparate worlds of academic and avant-garde art. In Crossing the Bridge of 1885, he layers transparent washes of blue and red to depict a young urban worker carrying a bundle of laundry. The solid construction of the figure reveals a love of classical prototypes, while the flattened space and incandescent colors suggest an interest
in Impressionism.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1996; The Maryland Institute College of Art,
through Henry Walters, Baltimore, by bequest 1909; from George A. Lucas, Paris
through Henry Walters, Baltimore, by bequest 1909; from George A. Lucas, Paris
The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas
2011-09-19 00:00:00
2011-09-19 00:00:00
Deconstructing Nature: Environmental Transformation in the Lucas Collection
A Century of Baltimore Collecting 1840-1940
Fisher, Jay McKean, et al. The Essence of Line: French drawings from Ingres to Degas. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005, p. 110-111, ill.
Inscribed: lower right in watercolor: "'Besn[ard]"
