Jean Béraud (French, 1849-1935)
Une elegante Parisienne
signed 'Jean Béraud.' (lower left)
oil on canvas
21 3/4 x 15 1/8in (55.5 x 38.5cm)
Footnotes:
Provenance
F. Dupre, Paris;
Private collection, France;
Private collection, United kingdom;
Private collection, United States;
Sale, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, Munich, 2 April 2020, Impressionists, Modern Art, 19th & 20th C. Paintings, lot 741.

Literature
Patrick Offenstadt, Jean Béraud 1849-1935 - The Belle Époque: A Dream of Times Gone By, p.290, illustrated no. 397.

Une elegant Parisienne is an exemplary work from the artist's oeuvre. It is an example of a vivid and elegant portrait of a Parisian society dame from the Belle Époque. The subdued use of brown, grey and black palette makes the joyful expression of the lady appear alive, as if the subject were about to step out of the painting to greet the viewer. The artist has purposefully chosen to depict the woman against a plain background to greatly illustrate the sumptuous details of her attire such as the velvet jacket and the chiffon of her collar. This understated color combination evokes the formal training that Béraud was taught however the bold, firm brushstrokes create a bridge between traditional genre paintings and those of the Impressionists, who were only just emerging when the artist was painting.