Mother and daughter, charcoal on paper by Emile Friant, preparatory drawing for "En pleine Nature".
Emile Friant was born in 1863 in Dieuze in Moselle and arrived in Nancy with his family in 1872 following the Franco-German War. With a precocious talent for drawing, he exhibited at the age of 15 at the Salon de Nancy where he was already noticed.
He obtained a scholarship to study at the Beaux-Arts de Paris in the studio of Alexandre Cabanel where he met his friend Victor Prouvé from Nancy.
In 1882 he exhibited two paintings at the Salon des Artistes Français, one of which, L'Enfant Prodigue, was bought by the state.
One of his most famous works, La Toussaint, was presented at the Universal Exhibition of 1889; it was again a great success; the artist received the gold medal of the exhibition and was made a knight of the Legion of Honor.
In 1924, he presented "En pleine Nature" at the Salon des Artistes Français. This immense canvas is the result of several years of work, and the drawing we present is probably part of the first studies of the painting.
This work illustrates well the process of maturation of the artist, and the importance of drawing in his work.
Dimensions of the frame: width: 55.5cm height: 48.2cm
