Artwork
Le Point de Billancourt
Le Point de Billancourt is a print by the Impressionist artist Auguste Lepère. It dates from 1886 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Le Point de Billancourt, an 1886 print by Auguste Louis Lepère, exemplifies the artist's role in Europe's wood engraving revival. The piece captures a serene industrial riverside scene at Billancourt, near Paris, emphasizing everyday life amidst urban and labor elements.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a quiet, detailed moment in an industrial landscape: a wooden tower, small hut, overturned boat, and a lone figure. The composition highlights the intersection of urban development, labor, and ordinary life in a specific, real-world location.
Technique & Style
Lepère's focus on rough textures—wood, water, and tangled ropes—defines the work's aesthetic, prioritizing tactile, everyday elements over smooth lines, aligning with Realist principles in capturing ordinary life.
History & Provenance
Created in 1886, during a period of creative renewal in printmaking, Le Point de Billancourt reflects Lepère's engagement with innovative techniques in the medium.
Context
The work's setting, Billancourt near Paris, was chosen for its mundane, industrial details, situating it within the broader Realist movement's emphasis on depicting everyday, working-class life.
Legacy
While specific legacy details of *Le Point de Billancourt* are not highlighted, its creation contributes to Lepère's noted influence in the European wood engraving revival of the late 19th century.
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.
