Le Criard (The Shrieker)

1879/1880

Félix-Hilaire Buhot

Associated Names
Félix-Hilaire Buhot

Artist, French, 1847 - 1898

The image is a print that combines detailed etching with a variety of sketch-like illustrations. The main scene at the center of the image portrays a stormy seascape. The perspective is as if the viewer is standing on a wet shoreline looking out at the turbulent sea. Close to us, a figure appears to be running or bracing against the wind. Beyond this, the horizon is low, with crashing waves and indistinct clouds blending into the sky, though a ship is faintly visible. The technique of the brushstrokes and line work in the central section is intricate and dynamic, emphasizing the chaotic movement of the ocean. The image is primarily monochrome, with dark, stormy hues contrasting against light etched surfaces. Surrounding this inset are more artistic sketches: to the left, a depiction of sailors grappling with a boat's mast, while ethereal figures and a bird fill the upper right space. Below, beyond the central scene, lies a calmer shoreline and distant figures. The overall composition mixes detailed etching with softer sketches.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, drypoint, aquatint (dust ground and spirit ground), salt lift, and possibly sugar lift in black on Japanese paper

  • Credit Line

    Helena Gunnarsson Buhot Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 17.5 x 11.5 cm (6 7/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 23.5 x 16.5 cm (9 1/4 x 6 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1995.54.47

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Bourcard/Goodfriend 1979, no. 104, State iii/vi


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

James Goodfriend, New York; Helena Gunnarsson, Washington, DC; gift to NGA, 1995.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1899

  • Bourcard, Gustave. Felix Buhot: catalogue descriptif de son oeuvre grave. Paris: H. Floury, 1899. Reprint. With additions and revisions by James Goodfriend. New York: Martin Goodfriend, 1979.

Inscriptions

lower center in margin in plate: Felix Buhot inv. sc; lower left in plate: LE CRIARD (101); lower center below plate mark stamped in red: FB (Lugt 977); by later hand, lower left in graphite: P. VII; by later hand, lower right in graphite: B/G 104 iii/vi; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: 76; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: APG 6931/10

Wikidata ID

Q75393978

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