''Bazille's Studio'' (''L'atelier de Bazille'') is an oil-on-canvas painting created in 1870 by the French Impressionist

Frédéric Bazille Jean Frédéric Bazille (; December 6, 1841 – November 28, 1870) was a French Impressionist painter. Many of Bazille's major works are examples of figure painting in which he placed the subject figure within a landscape painted '' en plein ai ...

(with contributions by

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

). The painting is also known as ''L'Atelier de la rue Condamine'', ''The Studio, and The Studio on the Rue La Condamine''. It has been in the collection of the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

in Paris since 1986. It shows the artist himself surrounded by his friends and paintings in his studio, capturing the artistic and social conditions of Paris in 1870.

Description

Bazille shared the studio on the rue de la Condamine, in the Batignolles neighborhood of northern Paris, with

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

from January 1868 to May 1870. Bazille is at the center of the composition, holding a palette, next to a framed painting on the easel. Bazille indicated in a letter that Manet in fact painted his figure in this work. Manet, with his reddish beard and hat, is standing in front of Bazille. On the right,

Edmond Maître Edmond Maître (April 23, 1840 – May 29, 1898) was a French writer, musician, and art collector, best known for his support and association with the Impressionists and his close friendship with Frédéric Bazille and Pierre-Auguste Renoir ...

, a friend of Bazille, is seated in front of the piano under Monet's still life. Art historians differ in their identification of three remaining figures.

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedic ...

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

and

Zacharie Astruc Zacharie Astruc (23 February 1833 in Angers – 24 May 1907 in Paris) was a French sculptor, painter, poet, and art critic. Biography Astruc was an important figure in the cultural life of France in the second half of the 19th century, and pa ...

have all been named as possibilities. Dianne Pitman suggests that Renoir and Monet are the ones near the stairs and Astruc is standing beside Manet. Others have proposed that Monet is next to Manet, Renoir is seated, and Zola is on the stairs. The painting placed on the easel has been identified as Bazille's '' View of the Village.'' The surrounding paintings include an unfinished version of '' La Toilette'' (Montpelier, Musée Favre) above the sofa, ''Fisherman with a Net'' (Zürich, Fondation Rau) on the high left, and the ''Fortune-Teller'' beneath the window. ''The Terrace at Méric'' (Ohio, Cincinnati Art Museum) on the top of the right wall and small ''Western Ramparts of Aigues-Mortes'' (Washington D.C, National Gallery of Art Museum) next to the window have also been identified. On the top right of the window, there is ''Landscape with Two Figures'' ('' Paysage avec deux figures'') by Renoir of which only the lower left half survives ('' Woman with Bird''). Monet's small still-life painting, ''Les Fruits'' is hanging above Maître. The paintings on the wall had all been rejected at some point by the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

; Bazille expresses his support for them by placing them on view here. By showing work in progress, Bazille also reveals the evolution of his work.

X-radiograph

The Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France (C2RMF), the National Gallery of Art in Washington and other American museums examined Bazille's paintings through X-radiographs. They revealed hidden compositions beneath Bazille's paintings. In ''Bazille's Studio'', a painting similar to Pierre Auguste Renoir's ''

Diana the Huntress ''Diana the Huntress'' () is an oil-on-canvas painting by an anonymous artist of the School of Fontainebleau. Painted in about 1550, it is a mythical representation of Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henry II, in the guise of the goddess ...

'' was revealed underneath the surface. Since Bazille shared his studio with Renoir, scholars speculate that Bazille used Renoir's work as a model to practice from and study.

Interpretation

Before late 20th, Bazille was regarded as an artist of secondary importance relative to the Impressionist painters he supported and befriended, such as Monet or Renoir. However, an exhibition of his work at the Musée d'Orsay in 1987 granted Bazille a "modest but secure position among painters."

Bazille and his fellow artists

Fantin-Latour Henri Fantin-Latour (; 14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers. Early life Born in Grenoble, Isère, Ignace Henri Jean Th� ...

's ''

A Studio at Les Batignolles ''A Studio at Les Batignolles (''French language, French: ''Un Atelier aux Batignolles)'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by French Impressionism, Impressionist painter and lithographer Henri Fantin-Latour, created in 1870. It depicts the Batignolle ...

'' likely inspired ''Bazille's Studio''. Both paintings show artists of the

Batignolles group The ''Batignolles group'' (Le groupe des Batignolles) was a group of young avant-garde painters from the end of the 19th century who gathered around Édouard Manet. The group bears its name in reference to the Batignolles district, where the arti ...

gathered in the studio. ''Bazille's Studio'' is a self-portrait of Bazille himself, but also a group portrait of his fellow artists. They are all spread out in the studio, showing their usual attitude or favorite occupations.

Bazille and his studio

Setting up the studio and being in the studio were fundamental in forming Bazille's identity as an artist. Bazille wrote a letter to his parents in 1862 addressing his passion about producing art in his own studio. Bazille moved his studio several times as his artistic circle changed and grew. There are several paintings by Bazille that take place in his own studio, including '' Studio on Rue Furstenberg'' (1865) and ''Studio of The Rue Visconti'' (1867). Unlike his earlier paintings, ''Bazille's Studio'' shows the studio filled with artists and Bazille's paintings. The paintings within the studio were mostly done by Bazille himself. Many of the figures look at the works of Bazille, showing appreciation.

References