The Enigma (L'énigme)
1900
Medium
etching and printed tone on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 11 x 13.9 cm (4 5/16 x 5 1/2 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
1990.95.8
Art Historical Context
**The Enigma (L'énigme)**, created by French artist Albert Besnard in 1900, captures the intrigue of fin-de-siècle Symbolism through masterful printmaking. Besnard (1849–1934), renowned for his dramatic paintings and murals, excelled in etching, blending psychological depth with luminous effects. This intimate plate (11 x 13.9 cm) evokes mystery in its title, reflecting the era's fascination with the unseen and subconscious, amid France's cultural shift toward modernism. Crafted as an etching with printed tone on fine Van Gelder Zonen wove paper—a premium Dutch stock favored for its smooth te...
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...