Page 5 - Bazille 2

upplement 2 further expands the Catalogue raisonné of
the work of Frédéric Bazille, published in 1995, following
Supplement 1 published in 2005. It presents seven new
works — seven new works that extend our knowledge of
S the painter’s art. Their inclusion rests on thorough research
and in-depth analysis of each work, at once esthetic, histo-
rical and technical.

Our work takes into account four observations that now
MICHEL SCHULMAN
structure and form our approach to the artistic evolution of
the artist.
Bazille’s body of work is irregular, with a variety of styles
that sometimes make attribution and authentication diffi-
cult and comparisons complicated. Thus we find from the
same period of his short life works in the hand of a master
as well as those of an art student.
Bazille’s correspondence, while abundant and detailed,
leaves out about ten paintings, some of which are impor-
tant, even major. Given such patchy correspondence, it’s
impossible to completely rely on his writing in authentica-
ting new works. Furthermore, isn’t an artist’s correspon-
dence but one of the elements used in authentication?
A third observation — and not the least — must be made.
This concerns the works left in his studio on rue des Beaux-
Arts in 1870. As he did each year, Bazille left Paris to spend
the summer with family in Méric; he would never return.
What became of his studio ? Poulain says in his book
Bazille et ses amis, published in 1932, that the family gave
Edmond Maître the responsibility of gathering his works
and sending them to them. However, no written document
is known to corroborate that assertion. There’s therefore
reason to qualify Poulain’s information despite it always
being repeated with certainty. And even if some of Bazille’s
paintings then made their way to Montpellier, it’s unknown
what exactly remained in his last studio. And how about
works that may have been sold or given by Bazille himself
during his short life?
Lastly, nearly thirty paintings by Bazille are unsigned.
Altogether, this leaves open the door for new discoveries
that our work takes into account. For all these reasons we
must acknowledge that the history of Bazille is not closed
and resolve ourselves now to take a new look at his work

Paris, October 2016.

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