Work

c. 1863

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Associated Names
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Artist, French, 1824 - 1898

This is a painting of a group of people, mostly men, engaged in laborious activities outdoors. The people are minimally clothed, with small pieces of cloth wrapped around their waists. On the left, a group of men appear to chop down trees and scrape the bark from them. One of them has a large rope wrapped around his shoulder. In the center, more men appear to forge tools or weapons, all facing a large anvil. Two men behind them appear to move a long rod into or out of a hot fire surrounded by smoke. On the right, two people follow large bulls, one of the people holding a brown sack or bag on their shoulders. In the bottom right corner, a woman lies in the grass, partially covered by a white cloth. A person in a red cloak holds a small child up to her. All of the people have pale skin and hair in shades of blond and brown, and many of the men wear hats or caps. The background features a rocky landscape with distant hills and a body of water near the upper right, with the sky above a pale blue-gray shade. The border of the painting is dark blue adorned with decorative elements, including green leaves, brown branches, and the shapes of tools. The words "LE TRAVAIL" are inscribed in gold at the bottom of the painting.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 108.5 x 148 cm (42 11/16 x 58 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.55

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Sold by the artist c. 1872 to (Durand-Ruel, New York and Paris). Hiltbrunner Collection, by 1887. (Durand-Ruel, New York and Paris). John G. Johnson [1841-1917], Philadelphia, by 1888; sold 1899 to Peter A. B. Widener [1834-1915], Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; Inheritance from the Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1867

  • Exposition universelle, Paris, 1867, no. 526.

1873

  • Sixth Exhibition of the Society of French Artists, Durand-Ruel, London, 1873, no. 118.

1887

  • Celebrated Paintings by Great French Masters, National Academy of Design, New York, 1887, no. 57.

  • Exposition de tableaux, pastels, dessins par M. Puvis de Chavannes, Galeries Durand Ruel, Paris, 1887, no. 15.

1976

  • Puvis de Chavannes, Palais du Louvre, Paris; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1976-1977, no. 41.

1986

  • Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, State Hermitage Museum, Leningrad; State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, 1986, no. 25, repro.

1994

  • Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam, 1994, no. 28, repro.

2014

  • Arcadia by the Shore: The Mythic World of Puvis de Chavannes, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo; Shimane Art Museum, Matsue, 2014, no. 12, repro.

2016

  • Spectaculaire Second Empire, 1852-1870, Musée d'Orsay, Paris; Dallas Museum of Art, 2016-2017, no. 196, repro. (shown only in Paris).

Bibliography

1915

  • Roberts, William. Pictures in the Collection of P.A.B. Widener at Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania: British and Modern French Schools, Philadelphia, 1915: unpaginated, repro.

1931

  • Paintings in the Collection of Joseph Widener at Lynnewood Hall. Intro. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1931: 196, repro.

1948

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Widener Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948 (reprinted 1959): 100, repro.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 106.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 93, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 276, repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 321, repro.

1998

  • Lamia, Stephen. "Labor/Trades/Occupations." In Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art, edited by Helene E. Roberts. 2 vols. Chicago, 1998: 1:481

Inscriptions

lower left: P.PUVIS DE CHAVANNES; lower center in border of oakbranches and laborer's tools: LE TRAVAIL

Wikidata ID

Q20188642

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