Melancholy (Mélancolie)
1888
Medium
etching and softground etching in brown on Arches laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 12.9 x 13 cm (5 1/16 x 5 1/8 in.) sheet: 32.6 x 25.2 cm (12 13/16 x 9 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell
Accession Number
1994.4.1
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**Melancholy (Mélancolie)**, created by French artist Albert Besnard in1888, captures the introspective mood of the fin-de-siècle era through a delicate print in brown ink. Besnard, a master of light and atmosphere, drew from Symbolist influences to evoke emotional depth, making this intimate etching a poignant reflection on human contemplation. Measuring just 12.9 x 13 cm on its plate, the work invites close viewing, its small scale enhancing its personal resonance amid the grandeur of larger canvases. The medium—etching combined with softground etching on fine Arches laid paper—showcases Be...
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...