Artist : Alfred Roll (1846-1919)
Title : Surroundings of Baccarat (1869)
Medium : Oil on canvas
Type of work : Painting signed lower right by the artist
Dimensions : 90 x 140 cm (116 x 167 cm with the frame, in stuccoed wood with flower decoration)
Condition : Good, the frame has some small shocks
Provenance : Certified origin, the invoice engages the responsibility of the gallery as to the authenticity of the work.
Expert's comments : Alfred ROLL nicknamed the "Zola of painting" embodies this third path between Academism and Impressionism: Naturalism. "The surroundings of Baccarat" is a work produced in 1869 in the studio of Rixens on the return of the artist's trip to the Vosges and was originally titled "A water course in a valley" (Effects autumn) (1). The painting was executed for the Troyon competition and exhibited at the Salon of 1870 (the artist's first participation in a salon). Not only was the review good: "He's Daubigny's son! "(1), but it is this painting that marks Alfred Roll's desire to become an artist by trade. We can clearly see the influence of great realists such as Courbet or Harpignies. The latter gave him some lessons and encouraged him to enroll in the fine arts. With this work, Alfred ROLL immerses us in a nature conducive to meditation in the image of this shepherd contemplating a small stream that seems to overflow the painting. Impressively in size, the work is beautifully framed. It is considered to be the first significant work of a very talented artist. In addition, there are very few works of this type existing on the market, landscapes being poorly represented in the artist's corpus. It is indeed easier to find portraits, genre scenes or nudes that the artist then produced in large quantities.
(1) J VALMAY-BAYSSE, The painters of today: Alfred ROLL his life - his work, page 6 (I have a photo of this page at your disposal)
This description was developed by us following our expertise and the various reference books on the artist in our possession, any copying is therefore prohibited.
