Nude with Her Arms Raised (Le modèle nue les bras levés)
1925
Medium
etching and drypoint on wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 27 x 19.8 cm (10 5/8 x 7 13/16 in.) sheet: 35.4 x 27.1 cm (13 15/16 x 10 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell
Accession Number
1997.91.7
Art Historical Context
Albert Besnard's *Nude with Her Arms Raised (Le nue les bras levés, created in 1925, is a striking etching and drypoint on wove paper, measuring 27 x 19.8 cm on the. This intimate print captures a female model in a dynamic pose, her arms elegantly lifted, embodying the timeless tradition of the nude study in French art Besnard (1849–1934), a leading French painter and printmaker who served as president of the Nationale des Beaux-Ar, was renowned for his handling of light and form, often blending academic precision with a sensual vitality. The medium shines here: etching allows for crisp, cont...
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...