Lot 61: Afternoon refreshment

Henri Adolphe Laissement (French, 1854-1921)
Afternoon refreshment
signed 'H. Laissement' (lower right)
oil on panel
25½ x 21 in. (64.8 x 53.3 cm.)

Laissement belonged to a group of artists who added some cheerfulness to the salons by exhibiting works inspired by the customs and morals of church men. These works treated this subject with great irony and facetiousness.
His paintings are usually of small size and the colours red and purple are predominant. The anecdotal character of these works makes them very accessible.
Laissement participated in the Exposition Universelle in 1889 and won several awards at the Salon.