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Lot Essay
La naissance de Julie, le 14 novembre 1878, ne peut que renforcer ces liens, Manet, n’ayant jamais eu, officiellement du moins, d’enfant avec sa compagne Suzanne Leenhoff. L’on rapporte que le portrait de Julie à quinze mois, peint en février 1879, fut exécuté au cours d’une séance de pose d’une heure seulement ! La rapidité et la justesse des coups de pinceau, ainsi que la gamme de tons tendres qu’il emploie, disent en tout cas l’émerveillement du peintre devant cette petite fille. Est-ce pour mieux saisir les traits de l’enfant que Manet offre en cette même année 1879 une boîte de pastel à Berthe ? Cependant, comment ne pas voir un jeu de miroir inversé entre Manet, dont la santé se détériore sérieusement depuis 1880, et cette enfant, incarnation même de la joie, de la vie ? Le docteur Siredey lui prescrivant le repos à la campagne, Manet décide alors de quitter dès que possible son atelier de la rue d’Amsterdam pour s’installer aux environs immédiats de Paris, ainsi à Bellevue en 1880.
Gilles Genty, historien de l'art.
The birth of Julie on 14 November 1878, could only strengthen these ties as Manet never had any children ‒ at least not officially ‒ with his companion Suzanne Leenhoff. Imagine that Julie à quinze mois, painted in February 1879, was completed during a sitting that lasted just one hour! The speed and intention of the brush strokes, as well as the tender colour palette he used, fully convey the wonder the painter felt in the little girl’s presence. Was it to better capture the child’s features that Manet gave Berthe a box of pastels in that same year? At the same time, how can one not see a game of mirrors between Manet, whose health began a steep decline in 1880, and this child who is the very embodiment of joy and life? Dr Siredey prescribed rest in the countryside, so Manet decided to leave his studio on Rue d’Amsterdam as soon as possible to settle in Bellevue on the outskirts of Paris in 1880.
Gilles Genty, Art historian.
Gilles Genty, historien de l'art.
The birth of Julie on 14 November 1878, could only strengthen these ties as Manet never had any children ‒ at least not officially ‒ with his companion Suzanne Leenhoff. Imagine that Julie à quinze mois, painted in February 1879, was completed during a sitting that lasted just one hour! The speed and intention of the brush strokes, as well as the tender colour palette he used, fully convey the wonder the painter felt in the little girl’s presence. Was it to better capture the child’s features that Manet gave Berthe a box of pastels in that same year? At the same time, how can one not see a game of mirrors between Manet, whose health began a steep decline in 1880, and this child who is the very embodiment of joy and life? Dr Siredey prescribed rest in the countryside, so Manet decided to leave his studio on Rue d’Amsterdam as soon as possible to settle in Bellevue on the outskirts of Paris in 1880.
Gilles Genty, Art historian.