Artwork
Bourrine dans les Peupliers
Bourrine dans les Peupliers is a print by Auguste Lepère. It dates from 1911 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
It resides in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is recognized for its technical precision and atmospheric tone.
Created in 1911 by French artist Auguste Louis Lepère, *Bourrine dans les Peupliers* is a black-and-white wood engraving that exemplifies the revival of the medium in early 20th-century Europe. The print captures a quiet riverside scene with minimal detail but strong compositional rhythm. It resides in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is recognized for its technical precision and atmospheric tone.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a tranquil riverbank flanked by three towering poplars, their branches arching across the upper half of the composition. A small structure appears faintly behind the trees, and a dark form drifts near the shallow water’s edge. No figures are present, suggesting solitude or the passage of time. The absence of color and human activity emphasizes nature’s quiet persistence, evoking a mood of stillness rather than narrative.
Technique & Style
Lepère employed fine, controlled lines and graded shading to model form and depth without color. The trees are rendered with dense, overlapping strokes that suggest movement through texture rather than motion. Light and shadow are carefully balanced to create volume, a technique rooted in chiaroscuro. The wood engraving process allowed for sharp contrasts and intricate detail, reflecting Lepère’s mastery of the medium’s potential for tonal nuance.
History & Provenance
Auguste Louis Lepère was a central figure in the European revival of wood engraving during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This print, made in 1911, belongs to his mature period, when he focused on landscape subjects with heightened formal discipline. It entered The Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through documented acquisition, though its earlier ownership history remains unrecorded in public sources.
Context
Lepère’s work emerged amid a broader interest in printmaking as an independent art form, distinct from reproductive illustration. In France, artists were re-examining traditional techniques like wood engraving as a means of personal expression. *Bourrine dans les Peupliers* reflects this shift, aligning with the era’s quiet, introspective aesthetics and the growing appreciation for craftsmanship in an age of industrial reproduction.
Legacy
Though not widely reproduced, Lepère’s prints influenced a generation of printmakers who valued technical rigor and emotional restraint. *Bourrine dans les Peupliers* stands as a testament to the expressive capacity of monochrome wood engraving. Its presence in a major museum collection affirms its role in the documented evolution of modern printmaking in Europe.
Artist & collection
Artist
Louis-Auguste Lepère (30 November 1849 – 20 November 1918) was a French painter and etcher. Lepère is also considered a leader in the creative revival of wood engraving in Europe.
