À propos de l’œuvre
Portrait d'André Lauvray, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · child portrait · 1880 · W620
Portrait of André Lauvray W620hand painted reproduction
André Lauvray appears in bust on a gray-green background, his face turned towards the viewer and lit by roses, creams and small bluish shadows. Her long blond hair frames a discreet smile, while the purple garment remains treated with soft touches. Signed and dated 1880, this oil on canvas measuring 46.4 × 38.1 cm belongs to a private collection and corresponds to Wildenstein 620.
Look at the work
An intimate child portrait, painted with the freedom of a landscape
The framing cuts the model under the shoulders and focuses all the attention on the face. The curls go down on either side of the cheeks without continuous contour; they are made of browns, yellows and grays which gently stand out from the neutral background.
Monet reserves the warmest touches on the cheekbones and lips. The collar and garment combine gray, lilac and blue, then dissolve towards the bottom of the canvas; this more open finish reinforces the precise presence of the look and the smile.
Rare in a painter especially famous for his landscapes, this portrait retains a family proximity: André Lauvray was the younger brother of the painter Abel Lauvray, close to Monet.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
The face as the only focus of clarity
The eyes, nostrils and mouth are indicated by some dark accents. Around them, the skin tones remain made of small colored variations which avoid any smooth academic modeling.
Hair built by light
The curls are not drawn one by one. Touches of blonde, brown and pearl gray suggest their volume, length and the light that slides around the face.
A deliberately indeterminate background
Gray green does not describe any interior. It isolates the young model while allowing the contours of the clothing and hair to breathe.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The single reference image measures 2,433 × 3,000 px in WebP; the source of 2,880 × 3,551 px has only been reduced, never enlarged.
Preserve model light expression
Smiling relies on slight changes around the lips and cheeks. Too strong an expression would cause the intimacy of the pose to lose.
Keep the roses cold from the complexion
Cheeks should not become uniformly orange. Blue grays and creams are necessary to regain the delicate light of the original.
Keep the garment freer than the face
The purple and gray touches of the bust must remain visible. Their open character highlights the concentration of work on the head.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
The Portrait of André Lauvray is an oil on canvas signed and dated 1880, measuring 46.4 × 38.1 cm and listed as Wildenstein 620.
André Lauvray, younger brother of the painter Abel Lauvray
The relationship with the Lauvray family explains the familiar tone of the effigy. The painting remained for a long time among the descendants of Pierre Lauvray before entering the art market.
An autonomous portrait within Monet's work
Monet mainly paints his close entourage when he approaches the figure. Here, the child is neither integrated into a garden nor reduced to a silhouette: he alone occupies the entire field.
Sotheby's New York sale in November 2018
The painting is presented as lot 428 of the Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale on November 13, 2018; it is now listed as a private collection.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 620 version
- André Lauvray's discreet smile
- Long blonde curls
- The gray-green background and the purple garment
Work sheet
| Title | Portrait of André Lauvray W620 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1880 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 46.4 × 38.1 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Private collection, documented provenance |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 620 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This small vertical format is suitable for a bedroom, a bookcase or a portrait wall. A gray green, old pink or ivory background and a soft brown frame underline its intimate character.
