Marie-François Firmin-Girard (1838 1921) Elegant on an autum - Lot 76

Marie-François Firmin-Girard (1838 1921) Elegant on an autumn stroll Oil on canvas depicting an elegantly dressed young woman walking under a white parasol along a tree-lined avenue, in a park landscape opening onto a body of water. Diagonally structured composition, highlighting the depth and balance between figure and setting. Luminous, atmospheric treatment, characteristic of the artist's maturity. This painting is a preparatory study for a more ambitious composition by the artist, to be compared with the much larger "Promenade d'automne" (73.7 x 103.5 cm), sold at Sotheby's (New York, 2020). Signed lower left. Dimensions: 50 x 70 cm (canvas) ; 74 x 58 cm (with frame) Work included in the catalog raisonné currently in progress. Marie-François Firmin-Girard, a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel and Emile Lévy, was one of the most appreciated French painters of the late 19th century. He exhibited regularly at the Salon from the 1860s onwards, winning several official awards. His work, at the crossroads of academicism and a freer sensibility close to Impressionism, is distinguished by its elegant garden scenes, refined female figures and subtle treatment of light. Today, his works are conserved in several public institutions, including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Petit Palais musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, as well as in various French and European museum collections, testifying to the lasting recognition of his work. Internal ref.: GJ289F