Artwork
Boubouroche; Valet de coeur
Boubouroche; Valet de coeur is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Henri-Gabriel Ibels. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Henri‑Gabriel Ibels produced the color lithograph Boubouroche; Valet de coeur in 1892. Executed on laid paper as a proof before the addition of lettering, the work presents a compact, brightly lit scene rendered in flat areas of colour and pronounced outlines, characteristic of the print medium rather than a painted tableau.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts two figures within an oddly shaped urban setting. A bent figure on the left clutches a small object, while a second figure on the right turns away, back to the viewer. Behind them a bridge spans a river populated by boats, and a modest house rests on the bank, suggesting a fleeting moment in a bustling locale.
Technique & Style
Ibels employed the lithographic process, drawing directly onto a stone or metal plate with greasy media before transferring the image onto laid paper. The print’s flat colour fields and bold contour lines emphasize graphic clarity, aligning the work with the decorative tendencies of late‑19th‑century printmaking and distancing it from the painterly detail of contemporary oil paintings.
History & Provenance
Created as a proof prior to the addition of textual elements, the lithograph reflects Ibels’s involvement with the avant‑garde circles of Paris in the 1890s. While specific ownership records are scarce, the piece remains documented as part of the artist’s printed oeuvre, illustrating his engagement with commercial and artistic print production during that period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Henri-Gabriel Ibels (1867–1936) was a French artist, born in 10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris.
![Men Towing a Barge [Study for Boubourouche], by Henri-Gabriel Ibels](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/henri-gabriel-ibels--men-towing-a-barge-study-for-boubourouche--2afc843c43c02cba-w320.webp)
