Beggar (Le mendiant)
1881
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of George Matthew Adams in memory of his mother, Lydia Havens Adams
Accession Number
1952.10.61
Art Historical Context
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911), a French-born artist who spent much of his career in, was a master of Realism, drawing inspiration from Spanish masters like Goya and Velázquez. 1881 etching *Beggar (Le mend)* captures the poignant figure of a downtrodden mendicant, reflecting the social realism prevalent in late 19th Europe. During this era of rapid industrialization, artists like Legros highlighted human suffering and everyday struggles, using their work to evoke empathy amid growing urban poverty. Etching, Legros's preferred medium, allowed for intricate line work and tonal depth through acid-...
About the Artist
Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...