Soirée d'Eté. Summer Evening. by James J. J. Tissot, 1836-1902

James J. J. Tissot, 1836-1902
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Soirée d'Eté. Summer Evening.

Original etching with drypoint in black ink. 1881. Signed with the red monogram stamp. Also signed and dated 1881 in the plate. Rare impression with the red monogram stamp from
the edition of c.150 impressions printed by Delâtre for Tissot in Paris 1883. (There were also c.100 impressions printed by Goulding in London for Tissot 1882).
Ref: Wentworth - Tissot Catalogue of the Prints no 56 (ii)

Extremely fine rich impression with plate tone. On pale cream laid Van Gelder-type paper. Excellent original condition with the usual cream tinted paper. Full margins. Sheet: 15 1/4 x 22ins. Plate: 9 x 15 3/8ins (230x396mm).

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A beautiful tonal impression with careful wiping, and with the artist?s red monogram stamp.

When Tissot began to paint in England in 1871 he adopted the Victorian convention of the ?narrative picture? but he was to bring to the genre a totally new quality of emotion. In works like ?On the Thames?, ?London Vistors or Portico of the National Gallery?, or ?Croquet? he translated the costume and situation picture into subtle and compelling statements about physical emotions.

It is this quality of combining ?story situation' and emotion which also makes Tissot?s etchings so compelling. At the same time he was also a brilliant etcher, with the most wonderful feeling for combinations of texture and light, especially in his portrayals of the elaborate textures of the women?s dresses and their interior or garden settings.

?Soirée d?Eté? or ?A Summer Evening? displays all Tissot?s masterly feeling for texture and light. At the same time it is filled with a special emotion. It is a study of his mistress in London Kathleen Newton, drawn at a time when they both already knew that she was dying from consumption but when they were both determined to enjoy as much of life as they could together. It is a combination of visual appeal and poignancy which makes it one of Tissot?s most admired prints.