The Suicide (Le Suicide)

c. 1886

Albert Besnard

Associated Names
Albert Besnard

Artist, French, 1849 - 1934

An individual is seated on a sloped surface, possibly a riverbank or a bridge. They are hunched over with their head resting on their arms and supported by their knees. The person's face is obscured from view, with their hair falling over their shoulders. They are wearing a dark, voluminous garment and there are no visible accessories or objects in their hands. The scene is dimly lit, suggesting an evening or nighttime setting. In the background, a street extends into the distance with an old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage moving along it. Streetlamps line the road and a city skyline is visible in the distance.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, Cambridge, MA; gift to NGA, 1990.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2009

  • The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; NGA; Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, 2009 - 2010

Bibliography

1906

  • Delteil, Loys. Le peintre-graveur illustre. 31 vols. Paris: Published by the author, 1906-1926. Reprint. New York: Collectors Editions, Da Capo Press, 1969. Vol. 30 (Albert Besnard) is by Louis Godefroy.

1989

  • Frank, Robert. The Lines of My Hand. New York, 1989.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: ABesnard; lower left in graphite: Tiree a 100; by later hand, lower center in graphite: -BUS-; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: 52-1

Markings

None.

Watermarks

[fleur de lis]

Wikidata ID

Q74888047

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