French, 1863-1951
Although destined for a banking career, Louis Legrand left everything to undertake artistic studies. His predisposition for drawing enabled him to enter the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. In 1884, he arrived in Paris to study with the artist Félicien Rops, who gave him the taste for rather unusual, provocative imagery. It is also Rops who initiated the young Legrand to printmaking, a genre in which he excelled, displayed through his first exhibition in 1896 at the Galerie “L’Art Nouveau” where he presented more than 200 prints. He is an accomplished artist who in the course of his career created familiar scenes in pastel, symbolist or mythological canvases, as well as illustrating books such as“les Cinq Contes Parisiens” by Guy de Maupassant, not withstanding his numerous drawings for satirical newspapers such as “le Courrier Francais’and “Gil Blas”. He participated in all the exhibitions of his era: the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts as well as the Exposition Universelle of 1900 where he received a silver medal. His talent and his work was acknowledged in 1906 by the Palmes Académiques and the Légion d’honneur.
The work which we present here is a portrait of a young woman realized in pastel, a technique that holds an important place in the output of the artist. In fact, he was prolific in the use of the medium. The themes which he liked to tackle are generally linked to everyday life, but above all, images of women, be they peasants, workers, dancers or the bourgeoisie. The choice of technique and subject matter make of him an artist that the critics have often associated with Toulouse Lautrec (notably that which concerns projects linked to the Moulin Rouge) and to Raffaelli, artists both of whom are amongst the emblematic post-impressionist draughtsmen. With this Femme à la Collerette, we rediscover the precision and refinement of drawing that so well characterizes this artist.
