On the Lookout (Aux aguets)
1900
Medium
etching on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 14 x 11 cm (5 1/2 x 4 5/16 in.) sheet: 45 x 32 cm (17 11/16 x 12 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1990.95.12
Art Historical Context
Albert Besnard's *On the Lookout (Aux aguets)*, created in 1900, the fin-de-siècle spirit of French art through the intimate medium of etching. A leading figure in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, Besnard (1849–1934) was renowned for his Symbolist influences, blending dramatic lighting and emotional depth with technical virtuosity. As a master printmaker and later director of the École des Beaux-Arts, he elevated etching beyond mere reproduction, using it to explore subtle textures and moods. This work, printed on fine Van Gelder Zonen wove paper—a premium Dutch handmade sheet prized ...
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...