The Audacity of Painters - Frédéric Astruc, (Self-) Portrait of a Man with a Pipe - 1885

  
Painting (oil on wood panel), dating from 1885 and signed "Frédéric Astruc". It is a portrait of a man with a pipe in his hand. He is wearing a hat, a red shirt, and has an imposing mustache. Above all, his joviality is noticeable, reflected in the wide smile on his round face. This work was created by the painter Frédéric Astruc. We do not know his exact year of birth and death, but we know that he lived in the 19th century and likely died at the beginning of the 20th century. He was originally from the Aude department in the southwest of France, specifically from the town of Puivert. The Bénézit dictionary devotes a short article to him, which informs us that he was a member of the Société du Salon des Artistes Français from 1864 to 1884, and the Musée du Vieux-Toulouse owns one of his works, a portrait of a woman with a shawl, in the same style as this one. His works have varying prices, but they remain interesting! This painting is titled "Portrait de Famille" ("Ritratto di Famiglia" in Italian, if you wish to search for it on Google), and in the center of this composition, we find the same jovial character. This family portrait seems to be that of the painter, and there is a good chance that the mustached man present in both works is actually the painter himself. Dimensions: - 45 cm / 37.5 cm. 55.5 cm / 47.5 cm (frame).

Note: the painting is relatively in good condition! I would like to point out that there are very slight flaws here and there, but they do not in any way affect the quality and reading of the artwork.

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