Artwork
Anatole France
Anatole France is an ink print by Anders Zorn. It dates from 1906 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Anders Zorn's 1906 etching, Anatole France, is a portrait print on laid C & I Honig paper. The work captures the likeness of its subject in a somber, contemplative atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts Anatole France, a man with a bald head and long white beard, dressed in a dark jacket, seated with his right hand on a table. His downward gaze and serious expression convey introspection.
Technique & Style
Zorn employed etching and drypoint techniques to achieve depth and texture. The contrast between the light background and darker shading around the subject enhances the overall sense of solemnity.
History & Provenance
Created in 1906, specific details about the artwork's provenance and historical context beyond its creation year are not provided.
Context
Anatole France (1844-1924) was a French writer and Nobel laureate in Literature (1921). This portrait may reflect Zorn's interest in capturing contemporary intellectual figures.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Anders Leonard Zorn was born in February 1860 in Mora, Dalarna, the illegitimate son of a Bavarian brewer and a Swedish farmer's daughter; his mother died shortly after his birth, and his grandparents raised him.
