Thunder (Un coup de foudre)
1826 to 1850
Medium
etching and drypoint?
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of George Matthew Adams in memory of his mother, Lydia Havens Adams
Accession Number
1946.4.21
Art Historical Context
Behold *Thunder (Un coup de f)*, a captivating print by French-born artist Alphonse Legros (1837–1911), created between 1826 and 1850. This etching and drypoint work, housed in the National Gallery of's Department CG-E, evokes the raw power of nature through its dramatic title—*Un coup de foudre* meaning "bolt of lightning" in French. Legros, a master printmaker who bridged French Realism and British art circles, drew inspiration from 17th-century masters like Rembrandt, infusing his scenes with emotional depth and atmospheric intensity. The medium shines here: etching creates precise, fluid ...
About the Artist
Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...