Nicolas Auguste Laurens (Pontailler-sur-Saône, 182

Nicolas Auguste Laurens (Pontailler-sur-Saône, 1829-1908) Women picking flowers Oil on canvas, 56x45 cm Signed lower left "LAURENS" On the back of the canvas, an inscription bearing the address of the painter's studio "Rue Coquillière n° 14" Limited information is available regarding the early training of the painter Nicolas Auguste Laurens, originally from Burgundy; however, we know that his artistic debut coincided with the national exhibition of fine arts in Dijon in 1858. Having moved permanently to Paris in 1859, the painter actively frequented the studio of Thomas Couture (Senlis, December 21, 1815 – Villiers-le-Bel, March 30, 1879) from the early 1860s onwards, who was particularly esteemed by the French aristocracy and bourgeoisie of the second half of the 19th century. From Couture, Laurens learned the dictates of French academicism, which was based on the highly personal and original elaboration of the models of the ancient Italian masters – with particular reference to Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese – and Flemish masters – we need only consider the undeniable references to the production of Rubens and Van Dyck. Laurens consistently participates in the main cultural events and the most prestigious exhibition opportunities in France: he is not only present at the Paris Salon, where he mainly exhibits female nudes or canvases with mythological subjects, including Nocturne (1890), La chaine rompue (1902), A la source (1903), Sous le vieux saule (1904), Margarita (1905), Le frisson (1906), Nymphéa (1907), but also in a vast series of other high-level exhibitions, including those of Lille (1866), Rouen (1906) and Le Havre (1902, 1905). Various paintings by the artist are currently kept in some of the most prestigious French museum institutions: just think of L'Abandonnée of the Musée de Beaux-Arts in Dijon and Le Chant of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau. In this painting, women of different ages are depicted in the act of picking flowers: the scene, of a choral nature, is illuminated by a serene and dazzling light, and the general tone of the composition is joyful. The work shows Laurens's skill, already cited by critics of his time, in the representation of the female figure.