Jules Destrée
1917
Medium
etching and drypoint on BFK Rives laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 30.6 x 24.8 cm (12 1/16 x 9 3/4 in.) sheet: 38.6 x 30.7 cm (15 3/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell
Accession Number
1993.71.16
Art Historical Context
Albert Besnard's *Jules Destrée* (1917) is a striking portrait print capturing the Belgian politician, lawyer, and cultural advocate Jules Destrée, for his fervent defense of Walloon identity and socialist ideals during a turbulent era. Created amid World War I, when Belgium endured German occupation, this etching and drypoint reflects Besnard's mastery as a French artist (1849–1934), for his painterly Symbolist style that emphasized dramatic light, rich textures, and depth—qualities vividly translated into printmaking. The medium shines here: etching provides precise, incised lines etched in...
About the Artist
Albert Besnard
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...