Sorrow (Chagrin)
1919
Medium
etching and aquatint on Van Gelder laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 13.9 x 10.7 cm (5 1/2 x 4 3/16 in.) sheet: 17.2 x 13.2 cm (6 3/4 x 5 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell
Accession Number
1993.71.19
Art Historical Context
**Sorrow (Ch)**, a poignant 1919 etching andatint by French artist Besnard, captures the depth of human experience through masterful printmaking.nard (1849–4), renowned for his Symbolist-influenced and later decorative murals, this intimate work on Vander laid paper—a premium Dutch handmade sheet prized its texture and durability in fine prints Measuring just 13.9 x10.7 cm on plate, its small scale invites close contemplation, ev personal grief amid the post-World I era's widespread melancholy. The technique shines here: etching delivers precise, incisive lines contours and expression, while ...
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...