Pierre Carrier-Belleuse

Biography of Pierre Carrier-Belleuse ( 1851-1932 )

This is near his father, the famous sculptor Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, the master of Auguste Rodin, that Pierre had his first painting’s lessons before following Alexandre Cabanel’s class at the Fine Art School in Paris.

The young twenty-four artist exhibited for the first time at the Salon of French Artists in 1875. Then, he won an honourable mention in 1887 and then a silver medal at the Universal Exhibition in 1889.
With his wife Thérèse Duhamel-Surville, a little cousin of Honoré de Balzac, he began to travel in United States in 1885. This stay marked a turning point in his artistic production : Pierre Carrier-Belleuse almost realised only pastels when he came back to France.

His work is principally based on feminine figure, and especially, like Degas, on dancers and the opera. He obtained many success and his paintings were frequently reproduced in the press, especially in Le Figaro Illustré. His talent of colourist were recognized by critic, particularly his dancers with their tones subject of special investigations.

This work was exhibited during the 1891’s Salon and showed the perfect control of the artist on the pastel. The gentleness of the tones used by Carrier-Belleuse in this important size art work is in perfect harmony with the delicacy of Miss Litini in her costume of Pierrot.

Pierre Carrier-Belleuse portrayed Miss Litini once more in the pastel Gentle confession dated 1894 and now stored in the Petit Palais Museum. On this pastel, Miss Litini is represented with another actress named Miss Bariaux.