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Catalog Data

Artist:
Frederic Arthur Bridgman, born Tuskegee, AL 1847-died Rouen, France 1928  Search this
Medium:
oil on canvas
Dimensions:
25 5/8 x 21 5/8 in. (65.2 x 54.8 cm)
Type:
Painting
Date:
1869
Luce Center Label:
Frederick Arthur Bridgman created this painting in 1869 while living at an artists’ colony in Pont-Aven, Brittany. He was still a student at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and this was the first year that he succeeded in exhibiting work at the prestigious Paris Salon. Many artists spent time at Pont-Aven during the nineteenth century, looking for a “primitive” experience that was very different from modern life in Paris. Bridgman and his fellow artists passed their days painting from models such as this young peasant girl. Bright light illuminates the girl’s cheek, nose, and dress, but the long lock of dark hair casts most of her face into shadow. She looks down, intent on winding the ribbon around her hair and apparently oblivious to the presence of the painter. Bridgman’s warm colors and sensitive brushstrokes capture the innocence of a girl not yet old enough to “put up” her hair as grown women would do.
Topic:
Study  Search this
French  Search this
Figure female\child\waist length  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Object number:
1977.113
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
On View:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 10B
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk74e9ea405-5095-458e-b57a-490d1186a0d9
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1977.113