Louis Antoine Montegut (Nîmes 1855 - 1906)
Portrait of Madame A.Fock
Oil on canvas
Signed and dedicated lower left: A.Madame A.Fock his old friend L Montégut
47 x 44 cm (Visible part 41 cm in diameter)
After starting out at the municipal drawing school in Nîmes, Montégut joined Cabanel's studio in Paris in 1879, then the National School of Fine Arts in 1880.
In addition to painting, he devotes himself to illustration for the Chronique Parisienne, l'Intransigeant or for some of the works of his cousin Alphonse Daudet.
The latter, accompanied by his wife Julie Allard, served as a model for the portrait he sent to the Salon of 1884. This painting, now at the Carnavalet museum, represents them in a study. The very heavy background contrasts with that of our painting, but there are certain elements that the artist likes in his paintings such as profiles or circular formats.
Very sober, our portrait with dark tones is placed on an almost white background, creating a strong contrast supported by its black frame.
The figure appears there as if through a lens, modeled in a restricted palette of which the pink of the lips and the ear constitutes the only warm tone.
The side lighting as well as the posture of the model with downcast eyes suggests an intimate atmosphere and gives this painting great depth.
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