Charles Hermann-léon (1838-1908) Portrait Of A Young Woman With A White Bow

Charles HERMANN-LÉON (born Léon Charles Sigismond HERMANN)
(Le Havre 1838 - Paris 1908)
Portrait of a young woman
Oil on canvas
H. 54 cm ; W. 41 cm
Signed and dated top right - 1877

Opera lovers will certainly recognize this surname, borne by a well-known bass from the first half of the 19th century. This man was the father of our painter, whose stage name he kept.A pupil of Eugène Fromentin and Philippe Rousseau, the young Léon Herrmann very quickly specialized in animal painting and genre scenes decorated with quadrupeds and birds. From his first exhibitions at the Salon des Artistes Française in 1867, he was noted for his talent and the clarity of his works. He received the 3rd and 2nd class medals and was quickly classified Hors Concours.

Hermann-Léon presents here the only portrait currently known in his corpus. This young woman with the happy face and the magnificent striped dress is synonymous with true talent. It is a great pity that the artist did not put his abilities to the service of this art more often.