Artwork
Bretonnes sur le quai
Bretonnes sur le quai is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Charles Cottet. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Bretonnes sur le quai is a 1894 lithograph on beige wove paper by Charles Cottet, a French artist associated with the Bande noire group.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts four women in traditional Breton dress standing together on a dock or street, conveying a sense of everyday life in rural Brittany through their simple, dark attire and the rough, unrefined background.
Technique & Style
Cottet employed loose, expressive lines to capture the movement and atmosphere of the scene, characteristic of late 19th-century printmaking techniques that prioritized immediacy over precise detail.
History & Provenance
The artwork is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, created during a period when Cottet was known for his somber, evocative representations of Breton landscapes and seascapes.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Cottet (French pronunciation: ; 12 July 1863 – 20 September 1925) was a French painter, born at Le Puy-en-Velay and died in Paris.
Three Veiled Women (Trois femmes voilées)
At the Market
Chestnut Vendors (Marchands de marrons)
Untitled
After the Sale, Hounsditch
Portrait of an Old Peasant Woman, in Profile to the Right, and Peasant Woman with Closed Eyes
Women at a Table in a Room (recto) / Nude Woman (verso)
Portrait de vielles femmes
Untitled
Coming from School
Paysanne avec pannier
Les Bretonneries: Wedding in Brittany (La Noce en Bretange)