Jules Marie Sevestre

JULES MARIE SEVESTRE (Breteuil, 1834 - Paris, 1901).
"The Bather", ca. 1870.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Original Louis XIV frame.
Measurements: 63 x 66 cm; 87.5 x 91 cm (frame).

This magnificent canvas exhibits the clear influence of the realism of Manet and Courbet, moving away from the psychological complexity of Romanticism to offer a study of the nude. The painter, distancing himself from Chassériau, takes up Ingres' mastery of drawing and his academicism. The composition presents a bather in a natural setting, portrayed three-quarter length in order to emphasize the curve of her back, a structure that is both solid and delicate at the same time, which is the backbone of the work. The young woman, holding a branch, rests her head on her arm and crosses one leg in the style of Ingres' "Grand Odalisque". Her red hair frames her face as her gaze turns to the viewer, revealing a green flame in her pupils.

The painter Jules Marie Sevestre was taught by Camille Corot and Léon Coignet, and made his debut at the Paris Salon of 1864. In 1890 he stopped sending his canvases to the Salon to devote himself to a solitary and personal practice. He is currently represented in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, the Musée d'Evreux, the Musée de Vitrée, as well as in private collections.