"édouard d'Avril (1843-1928). Girl With Butterfly"
“Among these genre paintings that we know of him and which have been noticed, we will cite one which was entitled ''the young girl with the butterfly''. We cite this one because it highlights more particularly one of the graceful, elegant and poetic sides of d'Avril's talent. The pretty creature who is the subject of the painting is at that indecisive age which unites adolescence with youth. It is the angel again, but under which we can sense the woman. She is barely dressed, and her thin shirt, untied and falling, half slips from her shoulder, which remains exposed. In an attitude full of chaste abandon, the young girl is attentive to consider a butterfly which, lightly placed on the embroidery of the top of the shirt, seems attracted by the pearly whiteness of this delicate and pure throat, of this half-veiled shoulder , whose finesse and sweetness have the charm of a spring bouquet. The whole, of exquisite simplicity and grace, forms a striking allegory, and, at the sight of the indiscreet butterfly, we say to ourselves that it symbolizes love, the youthful and tender love which is as if on the eve of making this virginal heart palpitate. As we can see, the motif is delicious and striking in its naive ingenuity; it exudes an intimate charm imbued with poetry. Also, the painting was a real success. It even earned the painter the homage of a piece of verse, where the poet, interpreting the graceful allegory, sought to compete through a harmonious form with the gentle symbolism of this pretty subject. If among the numerous works of Edouard d'Avril, we particularly highlight this painting, it is because it gives the characteristic note of his talent which is at once elegant, distinguished and correct". Gabriel Monavon. Profiles of Dauphinois artists. Edouard d'Avril. Les Alpes Illustrées, October 4, 1894Exhibition: • Salon de Lyon dec.1871-janv.1872 n°17 young girl with butterfly
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