Artwork
Jeune fille pleurant sur une stèle
Jeune fille pleurant sur une stèle is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Théodore Chassériau. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
About this work
Overview
Théodore Chassériau painted *Jeune fille pleurant sur une stèle* in 1840. Executed in oil on canvas, the work belongs to the period of French Romanticism and is now part of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a young woman kneeling before a stone stele, her head lowered and hands clasped in a gesture of prayer. Dressed in a flowing robe with her hair gathered, she appears to be mourning, suggesting a personal or communal act of remembrance toward a deceased individual.
Technique & Style
Chassériau employs a strong chiaroscuro, using contrasts of light and shadow to model the figure and the monument, creating a sense of three‑dimensionality. The brushwork combines the precise draftsmanship of his early Neoclassical training with the emotive, atmospheric qualities associated with Romantic painting.
Context
Although initially a pupil of the classicist Jean‑Auguste‑Dominique Ingres, Chassériau later absorbed the dramatic sensibilities of Eugène Delacroix. This shift is evident in the painting’s emotional intensity and its focus on individual feeling, hallmarks of the Romantic movement that dominated French art in the early nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the painting entered private collections before being acquired by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s European paintings department.
Artist & collection
Artist
Théodore Chassériau (French pronunciation: ; Spanish: Teodoro Chasseriau; September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a Dominican-born French Romantic painter noted for his portraits, historical and religious paintings,…
