Les modèles de Pont-Aven
Artist
Robert Wylie
(American, 1839–1877)
Datec. 1875
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 21 1/2 x 29 1/4 in. (54.6 x 74.3 cm)
Frame: 32 3/8 x 40 3/8 in. (82.2 x 102.6 cm)
Frame: 32 3/8 x 40 3/8 in. (82.2 x 102.6 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1992.166
SignedLower right: R. Wylie
InterpretationLes modèles de Pont-Aven (The Models of Pont-Aven) is Robert Wylie's group portrait of sixteen residents of the town of Pont-Aven, France, who served as models for his paintings showing local customs and daily life in the rural French province of Brittany. Mostly wearing traditional clothing, the figures range in gender, age, and expression. They appear casually gathered in the dark interior space, facing the viewer. Their expressions range from delight to skepticism. One young man on the right reaches down to place an apple in the slyly proffered hand of a girl holding a dog on her lap. She and another young woman occupy a bench made from a wooden plank suspended between a pair of barrels, with the elaborately carved wood panels of old-fashioned furniture visible behind them.
The artist first visited Pont-Aven in the summer of 1864, during vacation from his art studies in Paris. He soon became the center of an important colony of artists, including fellow Americans, attracted by the isolated town and its traditional ways. They painted in a communal studio in a nearby abandoned château, quite likely the setting for this work. Wylie led these artists in painting images of the local peasantry, a subject that found favor with collectors. The only artist to take up year-round residence in Pont-Aven, he learned to speak the regional language, Breton. He enjoyed a close relationship with many of the villagers, suggesting that he depicted individuals he knew rather than character types.
Long called The Breton Audience, a title evidently assigned by an earlier owner, the painting has now been identified as Les Modèles de Pont-Aven, a work exhibited at Wylie's posthumous exhibition in Paris in 1878.
The artist first visited Pont-Aven in the summer of 1864, during vacation from his art studies in Paris. He soon became the center of an important colony of artists, including fellow Americans, attracted by the isolated town and its traditional ways. They painted in a communal studio in a nearby abandoned château, quite likely the setting for this work. Wylie led these artists in painting images of the local peasantry, a subject that found favor with collectors. The only artist to take up year-round residence in Pont-Aven, he learned to speak the regional language, Breton. He enjoyed a close relationship with many of the villagers, suggesting that he depicted individuals he knew rather than character types.
Long called The Breton Audience, a title evidently assigned by an earlier owner, the painting has now been identified as Les Modèles de Pont-Aven, a work exhibited at Wylie's posthumous exhibition in Paris in 1878.
Adventure and Inspiration, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, 1988.
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995. [exh. cat.]
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
L'Héroïque et le quotidien: les artistes américains, 1820–1920 (The Extraordinary and the Everyday: American Perspectives, 1820–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 30, 2001. [exh. cat.]
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003.
The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]
Copley to Cassatt: Masterworks from the Terra Collection, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut and Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, September 5–December 7, 2003.
Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]
Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Cracow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Cracow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995. [exh. cat.]
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
L'Héroïque et le quotidien: les artistes américains, 1820–1920 (The Extraordinary and the Everyday: American Perspectives, 1820–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 30, 2001. [exh. cat.]
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003.
The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]
Copley to Cassatt: Masterworks from the Terra Collection, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut and Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, September 5–December 7, 2003.
Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]
Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Cracow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Cracow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 222; pl. 57, p. 223 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 222; pl. 57, p. 223 (color).
Myers, Julia R. “'Sympathy for Humanity': Robert Wylie and His Paintings of Breton Life." The American Art Journal 28:1–2 (1997): 82–121. Fig. 1, p. 82 (black & white), ill. back cover (color).
Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text pp. 18, 27 (checklist); fig. 19, p. 18 (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text pp. 18, 27 (checklist); fig. 19, p. 18 (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. The Extraordinary and the Everyday: American Perspectives, 1820–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2001. Text pp. 18, 24 (checklist); fig. 6, p. 18 (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. L'Héroïque et le quotidien: les artistes américains, 1820–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2001. Text pp. 18, 24 (checklist); fig. 6, p. 18 (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text p. 30 (checklist).
Myers, Julia Rowland. “J. Alden Weir's essay on 'Modern Life': In the Park of 1879." The American Art Journal 34–35 (2003–2004): 145–185. Text p.158; fig. 12, p. 159 (black & white).
Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Ill. p. 88 (color).
Wardle, Marian, ed. The Weir Family 1820-1920: Expanding the Traditions of American Art. (exh. cat. Brigham Young University Museum of Art). Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2011. Text, p. 65, ill. fig. 3.7, p. 64 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 222; pl. 57, p. 223 (color).
Myers, Julia R. “'Sympathy for Humanity': Robert Wylie and His Paintings of Breton Life." The American Art Journal 28:1–2 (1997): 82–121. Fig. 1, p. 82 (black & white), ill. back cover (color).
Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text pp. 18, 27 (checklist); fig. 19, p. 18 (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text pp. 18, 27 (checklist); fig. 19, p. 18 (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. The Extraordinary and the Everyday: American Perspectives, 1820–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2001. Text pp. 18, 24 (checklist); fig. 6, p. 18 (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. L'Héroïque et le quotidien: les artistes américains, 1820–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2001. Text pp. 18, 24 (checklist); fig. 6, p. 18 (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text p. 30 (checklist).
Myers, Julia Rowland. “J. Alden Weir's essay on 'Modern Life': In the Park of 1879." The American Art Journal 34–35 (2003–2004): 145–185. Text p.158; fig. 12, p. 159 (black & white).
Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Ill. p. 88 (color).
Wardle, Marian, ed. The Weir Family 1820-1920: Expanding the Traditions of American Art. (exh. cat. Brigham Young University Museum of Art). Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2011. Text, p. 65, ill. fig. 3.7, p. 64 (black & white).
John McCoy, Baltimore, Maryland
Peabody Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, 1895–1963
Mr. Roland Hartman, New York, New York, 1963–86
Post Road Gallery, Larchmont, New York, 1986
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1991
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1992
