French, 1850-1924
A Parisian by birth, Jean Francois Raffaelli trained in his native city under the acclaimed and highly academic hand of Jean-Leon Gerome. At the start of his career, he painted realist genre scenes in a traditional vein – pieces considered appealing and safe. His debut at the Salon in 1870 met with success, however, after a trip to Brittany, he realized the effectiveness of painting realist scenes in a subdued light. In addition, the exposure to the innovations of the Impressionists led Raffaelli to rapidly abandon this rather typical style in favor of interpreting scenes of contemporary life. These new paintings displayed the influence of the avant-garde with relaxed brushwork.
Raffaelli became fascinated with the impact of the Industrial Revolution on society. He chose to depict the common person going about everyday activities while alluding to such aperson’s involvement in production, technology and trade. Raffaelli’s work of this period is Naturalist, a subcategory of Realism that makes social commentary. This branch of Realism differs from the offshoot that grew into Impressionism in that it is not an objective “slice of life” snapshot of the modern experience. Neither did he adopt the colorful Impressionist palette, preferring somber tones to emphasize the seriousness and importance of his subject.
Raffaelli’s unique fusion of Realism and Impressionism is evident in Le Port de la Rochelle en Automne, a scene likely painted circa 1876 when the artist visited Brittany. This realistic port scene features a bearded peasant pushing a cart, trailed by his dog. The theme of a common man and his faithful companion was one Raffaelli revisited in many of his compositions. The fishing boats of La Rochelle, a port town in the Southernmost part of the Breton coast, line the docks. Raffaelli likely took inspiration from this peaceful enclave where he could study the dockworkers and fishermen.
Raffaelli was a close friend of Edgar Degas, who encouraged his fellow Impressionists to include Raffaelli in their exhibitions which they did in 1880 and 1881. Raffaelli drew praise from a public that appreciated his attention to detail, specifically the individuality of the people lining his streets and boulevards. In this aspect he differed from the Impressionists who were criticized for superficial canvases devoid of any delineation of the figure.
