Artwork
Windy Day, Place de la Concorde
Windy Day, Place de la Concorde is an oil painting by Jean Béraud. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Clark Art Institute.
About this work
Overview
Windy Day, Place de la Concorde is an 1896 oil painting by Jean Béraud, capturing a fleeting moment of late 19th-century Parisian life with characteristic precision.
Subject & Meaning
The painting focuses on a woman struggling to maintain her hat and composure on a windy day amidst the activity of Place de la Concorde, juxtaposing individual experience with the broader urban scene.
Technique & Style
Béraud employs observational realism, blending detailed observation of contemporary life with expressive use of color and light to convey a sense of dynamic movement, centered on the figure of the woman.
History & Provenance
Created during the Belle Époque, the work is part of Béraud's oeuvre documenting Paris's streets, cafés, and public spaces, reflecting the era's social and urban transformation.
Context
The setting, possibly an outdoor skating rink, situates the scene within the leisure activities of late 19th-century Paris, against a backdrop of architectural and atmospheric detail.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean Béraud was born on January 12, 1849, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to French parents; his father, also named Jean, was a sculptor employed at St.
