Lucien Mignon
Impressionist female nude with red stole – Oil painting
Lucien Mignon
Date : Around 1900
Dimensions au coup de planche : H : 22,5 cm ; L : 18 cm
Material : Oil on pannel
Condition : to restaure
Conditions & disponibilité: Available - framed
1 250 €
Description
of work
OIL ON PANEL DEPICTING A SEATED NUDE WOMAN WITJ A RED STOLE
This small oil on panel by Lucien Mignon, likely a preparatory work, depicts a seated female nude on a red stole, illustrating his subtle and impressionistic approach to the subject. The scene portrays a young brunette woman with her hair simply tied at the back, which reveals her face and highlights the delicacy of her features. She is seated directly on the red stole, whose texture and vibrant color beautifully contrast with the softness of her skin. The background, painted in a soothing green, adds a profound serenity to the composition and accentuates the warmth of the foreground colors.
Mignon employs a limited yet rich palette, skillfully playing with shades and contrasts to create a visual harmony. The softly diffused light gently caresses the model’s skin, creating delicate shadows and subtle reflections that accentuate the graceful curves of her body. The light and fluid brushstrokes, characteristic of Impressionism, bring a lively texture to the work, underscoring Mignon’s technical mastery.
This work testifies to Lucien Mignon’s ability to capture the essence of the female nude with a marked impressionist sensitivity. The seated posture of the model conveys a sense of tranquility and intimacy. The choice of the red stole under the model contrasts with the green background, creating a harmonious tension between passion and serenity. The soft, enveloping light emphasizes the simplicity and purity of the scene, without artifice or distraction. By focusing on the captured moment, Mignon conveys an authentic and touching emotion.
The green background adds an extra dimension, suggesting a natural environment that further accentuates the softness and calm of the scene. This painting fits perfectly into the tradition of impressionist nudes, where emotion and light take precedence over academic details. Influenced by Renoir, Mignon has succeeded in creating a work that combines refined aesthetics with emotional depth, offering the viewer an intimate and serene vision of his model.
Lucien Mignon
Chateau-Gontier (France) 1865 - Paris 1944
Lucien Mignon, born on September 13, 1865, in Château-Gontier and deceased on March 13, 1944, in Paris, was a French painter, illustrator, lithographer, and pastel artist. A notable artist of the early 20th century, he distinguished himself as a disciple of Pierre-Auguste Renoir. His artistic training began at the School of Fine Arts in Angers before he moved to Paris, where he was admitted in 1886 to the École des Beaux-Arts under the tutelage of Jean-Léon Gérôme.
In 1889, he made his first appearance at the Salon des Artistes Français with a canvas entitled A Sentimental Stroll. His work, imbued with the landscapes of Angers and Fontainebleau, reflected an Impressionist sensitivity. From 1895 onwards, he exhibited regularly with the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA). In 1898, his works, including landscapes of Fontainebleau, were presented at the Salon. Subsequently, in 1902, he divided his time between Rue du Cardinal Lemoine in Paris and Montigny-sur-Loing, where he drew inspiration for his landscapes.
Lucien Mignon also worked for the publisher Édouard Pelletan, who exhibited his works in February 1896. Around 1909, he left Paris to settle in Cagnes-sur-Mer. There, he grew closer to Auguste Renoir, whose portrait he painted in 1913. His style, very similar to Renoir’s, particularly his so-called ‘Ingresque’ period, was evident in works such as Peaches and Green Almonds, a canvas now housed in the Musée d’Orsay.
In 1919, a notable incident occurred when an American gallerist acquired drawings by Mignon bearing his signature, which were then fraudulently sold in New York under Renoir’s name. The intervention of experts such as Charles Lewis Hind and Joseph Pennell was necessary to prove the fraud.
During the 1920s, Mignon continued to exhibit at the SNBA while executing commissions for the Ministry of Public Works, related to historic buildings. Mignon, married and father to a son, René, who married Jacqueline Proust, the daughter of the painter Maurice Proust, died at his Parisian home in 1944. His legacy, marked by a refined style and significant Impressionist influence, endures in his works preserved in various museums and public collections.