Béraud has captured a moment of la vie Parisienne with great wit and deftly combines multiple elements in order to build a charming narrative. The upper half of the canvas shows an overcast sky streaked with autumn branches while the ground underfoot is slick with rain, creating depth through its reflections. Béraud has stationed himself on the banks of the Seine, presumably looking at the three iron arches of the southern arm of the Pont de Sully, built by Baron Haussman in 1876.
A blustery autumn day sets the scene for a fashionably-dressed woman to be caught in the wind, however, with her feet held together and head turned coquettishly in the viewer’s direction, she hardly appears to be struggling. She holds her umbrella with her left hand and seems to be taming her windswept petticoats and red stockings with the other. With his interest in the social relationships between city dwellers, Béraud is not averse to representing the interactions of men and women. Whether it is invited or not, Béraud’s Parisienne has captivated the attention of the artist walking past, perhaps the bearded Jean Béraud himself with paint box and canvas in hand, as well as the oncoming man whose hat is about to be blown off and the commuter climbing the stairs from the Seine.
[Sold for $161,000 at Sotheby’s - Oil on canvas, 39.4 x 47.2 cm]