Modern Bucolic

Art Historical Context

**Modern Bucolic** (1901) by Louis Auguste Lepère captures the charm of rural life through the lens of early 20th-century France. This woodcut, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings, measures an impressive 26.3 × 39.1 cm on cream laid paper, inviting viewers into a serene, pastoral scene reimagined for modern times. Lepère, a prominent French printmaker (1849–1918), was renowned for reviving the woodcut medium, blending traditional craftsmanship with innovative color techniques inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e prints. from just two blocks in olive-brown, brown/tan, salmon, and peach inks, the work exemplifies Lepère's mastery of multi-block color woodcuts—a labor-intensive process where each hue is carved and inked separately. This approach allowed for subtle tonal gradations and vibrant warmth, contrasting the stark black-and-white woodcuts of earlier eras. At the turn of the century, such techniques marked a renaissance in French printmaking, bridging 19th-century realism with emerging modernist sensibilities. As a "modern bucolic," the piece reflects nostalgia for idyllic countryside amid rapid industrialization, offering a timeless escape. Lepère's precise lines and harmonious palette make it a standout in his oeuvre, celebrating the woodcut's enduring artistic potential for museum-goers today.

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...