Camille Félix Bellanger (French, 1853-1923)


Brunette signed and dated 'CAMILLE BELLANGER/-1904-' (lower right)oil on canvas133 x 95.5cm (52 3/8 x 37 5/8in).
|Born in Paris, Camille Bellanger's work shows the influence of both his tutors at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, which he attended in the early 1870s. Studying under Alexandre Cabanel and William Bouguereau, the former's academic style of classical painting is reflected in Bellanger's early works, while the influence of Bouguereau's single figure rural subjects is evident in works such as the present lot. Taking a rest from her work, the subject leans against a wall, in front of her the results of her day's labour. Although rural in subject, there is no attempt at harsh social realism; rather, as Dr. Janet Whitmore notes, 'like Bouguereau's solitary figures of Breton women, Bellanger's brunette is not a weary farm wife, but a slightly dishevelled, attractive model posing as a peasant.'