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Artist or Maker: Eugène Carrière (French, 1849-1906)

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Description: Maternité
signed and inscribed "Carrière/ma chère amie/'Peggie' from the other 'Peggie' " (lower left)
oil on canvas
20 3/8 x 26 3/8 in. (51.8 x 67 cm.)

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Notes: There is another version of this work in the Musée Municipal de Charleville-Mézières. Painted in 1892, it was exhibited at the Salon in Paris of the same year.

Eugène Carrière received his initial training as a commercial lithographer. A visit to Paris in 1868 inspired him to become an artist. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under the great master Alexandre Cabanel and later under Jules Chéret. Success did not come easily and he was often forced to find employment using his previously learnt skills as a printmaker. It was at this time he met Auguste Rodin who became a close and lifelong friend.
In the 1880's Carrière increasingly used a monochromatic palette, developing a technique in which form was dissolved into a mysterious and misty haze. This quality of mystery greatly appealed to the Symbolists with whom he is often associated. Carrière produced a large body of work, much of which illustrated the theme of motherhood. The models and his main inspiration were often his wife and children, which lead the viewer into a personal and intimate scene.

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