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Have you ever wondered how you would look if your portrait were painted by a close friend? Twenty something Renoir (1841-1919), here an aspiring Parisian artist in 1867, must have approved of his portrayal by his colleague and comrade Frederic Bazille (1841-1870). For he kept this gift from Bazille for the rest of his life.
Frederic Bazille, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1867, oil on canvas, Musee D’Orsay, on deposit to the Musee Fabre, Montpeliier, France
Renoir is now a household name, renowned along with Monet and Degas, as one of the icons of Impressionism. But what happened to Bazille whose unusual self-portrait of 1865 (currently in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago) is seen below?
He was killed only three years after completing Renoir’s portrait, a casualty at age 28 of the Franco-Prussian War. And like any talented artist who suffers a premature death, his potential creativity will always remain a question.
Frederic Bazille, Self-Portrait, 1865/1866, oil on canvas, The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
Source of article is from biographies of Bazille and Renoir.
The above images are used solely for educational purposes.
