Alphonse Legros (1847-1911)

Etching signed Alphonse Legros representing an old woman kneeling before the body of a dead young girl. The latter was attacked by "tramps", as they called the beggars and vagabonds living off theft in the countryside in the 19th century. Alphonse Legros (1847-1911) is a draftsman, painter, sculptor and engraver who was trained at the Beaux Arts in Dijon and Paris. Close friend of Degas, Rodin and Fantin Latour. It was on the advice of the painter Whistler that he moved to London in 1863 where he distinguished himself as a teacher at University College London. He then frequented the great names of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, in particular Rossetti and Burne-Jones, and also produced portraits of Darwin, Rodin, Victor Hugo... An extraordinary draftsman, it was he who introduced Rodin to the technique of the dry point in 1881. His works reveal an imaginary at the same time powerful and dark, the sick, the destitute and the dying always hold a good place there. His series "The Triumph of Death" is the perfect illustration of this. This etching is in good condition, the theme as violent as it is dramatic is very representative of the artist's work. Engraving signed in pencil