JULIEN DUPRÉ (FRENCH, 1851-1910)

Born in Paris in 1851, Julien Dupré is regarded as the leading exponent of the second-generation of Realist painters, whose depictions of the toils of the French peasants were true to the ideals of his predecessors Jean-François Millet and Jules Breton. Like his predecessors, and contemporaries such as Léon Lhermitte, Dupré’s work emphasizes both the humanity and dignity of peasant life in the late 19th century and the glory of the French rural landscape. Dupré was critically acclaimed during his lifetime and was awarded a gold medal at the Paris World Fair of 1889.

For artists like Dupré, the peasant, as the embodiment of hard work and strong familial bonds, was the exemplar of the most fundamental and consistent elements of human society. In the present lot such a figure is hard at work, her posture held in a classical contrapposto form whilst she pushes through the dramatic waves of hay.

We are grateful to Howard L. Rehs & Professor Janet Whitmore for confirming the authenticity of this work from a photograph. They will include the work in their forthcoming Julien Dupré catalogue raisonné. A photo certificate of authentication from Howard L. Rehs accompanies this lot.