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Besnard’s artistic career began in 1874 with his receipt of the Grand Prix de Rome along with a period of study at the Villa Medici, the French academy in Rome. From there he moved in 1879 to London, first settling in Paris again in 1883. At this time, Besnard already enjoyed an excellent reputation as a graphic artist and as the portraitist of a predominantly female clientele. Immediately after his return, he also obtained important commissions for the artistic decoration of various public buildings in Paris. Along with regular presentations of work in the capital’s salons, Besnard was honoured in 1905 with exhibition of his entire oeuvre in the Galerie G. Petit. In 1912, he returned to Rome for a few years as the director of the French academy, before succeeding Léon Bonnat as director of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
The study shown here, from the final year of his first stay in Rome, seduces it with its natural proportions and depiction of the model in space. Furthermore, we already recognize here Besnard’s sharp gift for observation and his much-praising talent for modelling the reflections of light.