Artwork
Model Asleep on the Floor (Le modèle endormi à terre)
Model Asleep on the Floor (Le modèle endormi à terre) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Paul-Albert Besnard. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Model Asleep on the Floor (Le modèle endormi à terre) is an etching created by Albert Besnard in 1885, executed in black on laid paper using a combination of etching, roulette, and drypoint techniques.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a fully dressed individual lying on their back on the floor, with a tilted head and arms at rest. The subject's pose and attire suggest a moment of unexpected rest or exhaustion, rather than a traditional recline.
Technique & Style
The work features loose, scratchy lines alongside targeted cross-hatching to convey texture, evident in the folds of the long coat and the fur of the hat. The juxtaposition of rapid strokes with meticulous shading reflects a focus on capturing everyday life with expressive immediacy.
History & Provenance
Created in 1885, the etching aligns with a late 19th-century artistic shift towards depicting unposed, realistic scenes. Besnard's use of mixed intaglio techniques (etching, roulette, drypoint) was characteristic of experimental printmaking practices during this period.
Context
The piece emerges from an era where artists moved away from polished, idealized representations, instead emphasizing the mundane and the natural. This etching's style and subject matter place it within the broader movement towards realism and observational art.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul-Albert Besnard (1849–1934) was a French artist, born in 7th arrondissement of Paris.
