July in Picardie
Medium
Etching on cream laid Japan tissue
Dimensions
Image: 24.3 × 29 cm (9 5/8 × 11 7/16 in.); Plate: 25.4 × 31 cm (10 × 12 1/4 in.); Sheet: 32.9 × 37.8 cm (13 × 14 15/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
79860
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**July in Picardie** Louis Auguste Lepère (1849–1918), a master French printmaker, captures the serene beauty of a summer day in the Picardy region of northern France in this 1909 etching. Known for his exquisite landscapes and urban vignettes, Lepère drew inspiration from the region's rolling fields and quaint villages, evoking the quiet rhythms of rural life at the turn of the century. Created during a period when French artists were exploring the interplay of light and atmosphere—echoing Impressionist influences— this work reflects Lepère's skill in translating fleeting seasonal moments into enduring art. The medium, an etching on cream laid Japan tissue, highlights Lepère's technical prowess. Etching involves biting lines into a metal plate with acid, allowing for intricate details and subtle tonal gradations that mimic drawing. Japan tissue, a fine, absorbent Oriental paper, yields exceptionally rich impressions, making this print a collector's gem. At 24.3 × 29 cm, its intimate scale invites close viewing, revealing textures from sun-dappled foliage to distant horizons. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, *July in Picardie* exemplifies early 20th-century printmaking's artistic vitality, bridging traditional craftsmanship with modern sensibilities. A perfect piece for contemplating France's pastoral charm! (198 words)
About the Artist
Louis Auguste Lepère · 1849–1918
Louis-Auguste Lepère (1849–1918) was born in Paris on November 30 to the sculptor François Lepère, immersing him early in the artistic world. At age thirteen, he apprenticed in the studio of the English wood engraver Joseph Burn-Smeeton, training there from 1862 to 1867, and later attended drawing courses under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the Petite École (now École nationale supérieure des art...