A man and a woman are represented here in an intimate and romantic scene. The central figure is that of the young woman, dressed in white, who emerges from a dark background.
Carolus-Duran used an understated composition and a restricted range of colours, in order to concentrate on the two protagonists. The red shawl and rose in the young woman's hair are a subtle reminder of the love and passion between these two people. The artist presents the scene with modesty and tenderness, but always with a concern for realism inspired by Gustave Courbet.
But who are these two lovers? Observe the young man well. He looks very much like the self-portrait of Carolus, The Sleeping Man, painted seven years previously and also in the collection of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille! The woman he holds in his arms can only be his young wife, Pauline Croizette, a painter of pastels and miniatures, whom he met at the Louvre.
Pauline remained a source of inspiration for Carolus-Duran, who painted many portraits of her. The most famous is undoubtedly The Lady with the Glove (Museum of Orsay), a picture that is considered to be the perfect example of the society portrait.
Inventory number: P.1984
A man and a woman are represented here in an intimate and romantic scene. The central figure is that of the young woman, dressed in white, who emerges from a dark background.
Carolus-Duran used an understated composition and a restricted range of colours, in order to concentrate on the two protagonists. The red shawl and rose in the young woman's hair are a subtle reminder of the love and passion between these two people. The artist presents the scene with modesty and tenderness, but always with a concern for realism inspired by Gustave Courbet.
But who are these two lovers? Observe the young man well. He looks very much like the self-portrait of Carolus, The Sleeping Man, painted seven years previously and also in the collection of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille! The woman he holds in his arms can only be his young wife, Pauline Croizette, a painter of pastels and miniatures, whom he met at the Louvre.
Pauline remained a source of inspiration for Carolus-Duran, who painted many portraits of her. The most famous is undoubtedly The Lady with the Glove (Museum of Orsay), a picture that is considered to be the perfect example of the society portrait.
Inventory number: P.1984
