Lot 110: Paul François Quinsac (French, b. 1858)

Au Moulin de la Galette
signed and dated 'P. Quinsac-1887-' (lower right)
oil on canvas
39 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. (100.3 x 72.4 cm.)
Painted in 1887

Paris, Salon, 1887, no. 1969.

Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, New York, 24 May 1995, lot 263.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.

THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN GENTLEMAN

Images of popular sites in and around Paris were in great demand during the Belle Epoque. These locations provided artists with a great range of subject matter and endless inspiration supplied by the constant flow of visitors. Featured by numerous artists throughout the era, the Moulin de la Gallete was a particularly fashionable site. A Montmarte dance hall cabaret frequented by artists and writers, the Moulin de la Gallete was well-known for its local color and bustling activity. The windmill could be seen from the center of Paris and the Moulin de la Gallete was listed as a main attraction in all of the city's tourist guides.

In the present work, Quinsac combines two popular interests of the time; famous Parisian locales and the depiction of elegantly dressed women. Representative of the carefree and indulgent era of the Belle Epoque, the women leaving the Moulin appear to be gazing dreamily out over the horizon. The unusual vantagepoint employed by the artist results in an interesting composition that is both pleasing to the eye and serves to reinforce the impression of revolution and regeneration as visitors enter and exit the site simultaneously.

Paul Francois Quinsac was a student of the highly acclaimed artist Jean-Léon Gérôme and began exhibiting at the Paris Salon in the 1880s. In 1887, the same year Moulin de la Gallete was exhibited at the Salon, Quinsac was welcomed as a member of the Society of French Artists.

Exhibited at the Salon in 1887, Moulin de la Gallete stands apart in the artist's oeuvre which is characterized by academic portraiture and compositions based on literary subjects.