Breton Women at a Pardon
Encyclopedia
Breton Women at a Pardon (French: Les Bretonnes au Pardon) is an 1887 oil on canvas by the French academic
painter Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret
(1852–1929). It shows seven women sitting on grass in a churchyard waiting for a ceremony
to begin. The painting is coloured with somber tones although the women have a serene calmnness, whose demeanour was described by critic Richard Dortment as one of "simplicity and piety".
The women are dressed in traditional Breton
costume which in the late 19th century would have been reserved for such an event; various starched white headdresses and collars, worn over long plain dark dresses. They are huddled in conversation while two men stand to their left with heads bowed, looking coyly at the women. The men have round black hats and are similarly dressed in black with while collars.
This work is from a series of Breton paintings, and follows directly from the similar 1886 The Pardon in Brittany. It has a photorealistic
look; Dagnan-Bouveret often used photographs as well as drawings and oil sketches when preparing for a finished canvas. There are many konwn photographic studies and drawings both for the Breton series in general, and this work in particular. One photograph shows a grassy area in which the artist had a friend pose, another a view of the church seen here in the background, complete with the object protuding from the lower spire.
The almost uncomfortable closeness of the women to the viewer as well as its vertical framing add to the 'snapshot' aspect. From the photographs, the painting is known to be set in Rumengol, Finistère
, Brittany. The protruding object is not extant today, and believed to have been associated with the Pardon ceremonies of the time.
Breton Women at a Pardon was first exhibited at the Salon in 1889, where it drew acclaim and won the Grand Prise. It is often compared to Paul Gauguin's
at the time controversial 1888 Vision After the Sermon
and Émile Bernard
's 1888 Breton Women in the Meadow (clearly inspired by Dagnan-Bouveret), as much for contrast in approach and in critical reaction, as for their thematic and compositional similarities. Gauguin and Bernard were seen as radicals at the time, and disdained at the Salon.
Academic art
Academic art is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts, which practiced under the movements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism,...
painter Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret
Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret
right|thumb|Pascal Dagnan-Bouveretthumb|300px|[[Breton Women at a Pardon]], 1887. [[Museu Calouste Gulbenkian]]Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret , was one of the leading French artists of the academic school. He was born in Paris, the son of a tailor, and was raised by his grandfather after his...
(1852–1929). It shows seven women sitting on grass in a churchyard waiting for a ceremony
Pardon (ceremony)
A Pardon is a typically Breton form of pilgrimage and one of the most traditional demonstrations of popular Catholicism in Brittany. Of very ancient origin, probably dating back to the conversion of the country by the Celtic monks, it is comparable to the parades associated with Saint Patrick's Day...
to begin. The painting is coloured with somber tones although the women have a serene calmnness, whose demeanour was described by critic Richard Dortment as one of "simplicity and piety".
The women are dressed in traditional Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
costume which in the late 19th century would have been reserved for such an event; various starched white headdresses and collars, worn over long plain dark dresses. They are huddled in conversation while two men stand to their left with heads bowed, looking coyly at the women. The men have round black hats and are similarly dressed in black with while collars.
This work is from a series of Breton paintings, and follows directly from the similar 1886 The Pardon in Brittany. It has a photorealistic
Photorealism
Photorealism is the genre of painting based on using the camera and photographs to gather information and then from this information creating a painting that appears photographic...
look; Dagnan-Bouveret often used photographs as well as drawings and oil sketches when preparing for a finished canvas. There are many konwn photographic studies and drawings both for the Breton series in general, and this work in particular. One photograph shows a grassy area in which the artist had a friend pose, another a view of the church seen here in the background, complete with the object protuding from the lower spire.
The almost uncomfortable closeness of the women to the viewer as well as its vertical framing add to the 'snapshot' aspect. From the photographs, the painting is known to be set in Rumengol, Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
, Brittany. The protruding object is not extant today, and believed to have been associated with the Pardon ceremonies of the time.
Breton Women at a Pardon was first exhibited at the Salon in 1889, where it drew acclaim and won the Grand Prise. It is often compared to Paul Gauguin's
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
at the time controversial 1888 Vision After the Sermon
Vision After the Sermon
Vision after the Sermon is an oil painting by French artist Paul Gauguin in 1888. It is now in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. It depicts a scene from The Bible, where Jacob wrestles an angel. It depicts this indirectly, through a vision or hallucination that the women depicted see...
and Émile Bernard
Émile Bernard
Émile Henri Bernard is known as a Post-Impressionist painter who had artistic friendships with Van Gogh, Gauguin and Eugene Boch, and at a later time, Cézanne. Most of his notable work was accomplished at a young age, in the years 1886 through 1897. He is also associated with Cloisonnism and...
's 1888 Breton Women in the Meadow (clearly inspired by Dagnan-Bouveret), as much for contrast in approach and in critical reaction, as for their thematic and compositional similarities. Gauguin and Bernard were seen as radicals at the time, and disdained at the Salon.