Intimate Fantasy (Féerie intime)

Art Historical Context

### Intimate Fantasy (Féerie intime) Created in 1901 by French artist Albert Besnard (1849–1934), *Intimate Fantasy (Ferie intime)* captures the Symbolist spirit of dreamlike reverie at the turn of the century. Besnard, renowned for his murals, portraits, and innovative prints, blended Romanticism with emerging modernist sensibilities. This intimate work, housed in the National Gallery of as a gift from Mr. and Mrs Daniel Bell, evokes a private world of enchantment, reflecting the era's fascination with the subconscious and the ethereal—echoes of Symbolism's poetic introspection amid France's Belle Époque. Masterfully executed in etching, aquatint, and drypoint on laid paper (36 x 48.4 cm), the print showcases Besnard's technical prowess. Etching provides crisp lines, aquatint delivers velvety tones for atmospheric depth, and drypoint adds the soft, burr-rich textures mimicking a painterly stroke. These intaglio methods, popular in fin-de-siècle printmaking revivals, allowed artists like Besnard to achieve luminous subtlety on a grand scale, rivaling paintings while embracing print's democratic accessibility. As a trimmed sheet from the NGA's print collection (CG-E), this piece highlights Besnard's legacy in pushing print boundaries, inviting visitors to linger on its delicate fantasy—a window into early 20th-century artistry where technique meets imagination.

About the Artist

Albert Besnard · 1849–1934

Paul-Albert Besnard, known as Albert Besnard, was born on June 2, 1849, in Paris to an artistic family: his father, Louis Adolphe Ferdinand Besnard, was a history painter and pupil of Ingres, while his mother, Marie Louise Pauline Vaillant, was a noted miniaturist trained under Lizinska de Mirbel. Precociously talented, he began his training under Jean-François Brémond before entering the École de...