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The article presents the history of the painting "Grimaces et misère--Les Saltimbanques" by French artist Fernand Pelez that was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1888 in France.

The article discusses the use of a set of pictorial experiments in pastel by French artist Edgar Degas in making his paintings in the 19th century.

The article presents information on the discovery of the 1880 oil painting "An Orphan in Church," by French painter Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret. The author explains that the painting belonged to New York art collector Mary Jane Sexton Morgan, explores the Naturalist style used by Dagnan, and examines its depiction of the church of Saint-Maurice in Corre, France.

This article offers a new perspective on the transformation in Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s work in the mid-1880s, often referred to as his “crisis of Impressionism.” Through a study of Renoir’s involvement with high society Jewish patrons from 1878 to 1881, it is possible to reexamine the transition from his Impressionist phase to what has been called his “Ingresque” or “dry” manner, exemplified by the Large Bathers (1884–87). Looking closely at Renoir’s Jewish society portraits and at his contentious relationship with his Jewish patrons reveals that even after his falling out with members of Jewish high society, Renoir was influenced by their taste, advice, and demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paul Cézanne's "Mary Magdalen (Sorrow)" was painted in the 1860s on the walls of his family's home, the Jas de Bouffan. This article considers afresh its unorthodox painting style in light of a revival of interest in the seventeenth-century Provençal poet, Pierre de Saint-Louis, whose epic poem on Mary Magdalen was seen by Théophile Gautier to push the boundaries of good taste to the point of genius. With regard to the Provençal cult of Mary Magdalen, the article also looks at a ceremony to mark the translation of the saint's relics at the basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in May 1860. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paul Gauguin's first fresco, now known as "Breton Girl Spinning" (1889, Van Gogh Museum), was painted on the wall of a small auberge where Gauguin stayed for one year. The title and meaning of Gauguin's fresco have been the subject of scholarly debate since the inn's wall paintings were rediscovered in the 20th century. This article argues for an interpretation of the mural's protagonist as a polysemous symbol of suffering inspired by the persecution and martyrdom, rather than the triumphant patriotism, of a provincial girl who challenged authority, changed history, and was condemned to death for her efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1873 World Exposition in Vienna, a group of paintings by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was displayed at the Österreichischer Kunstverein. This article examines the personal, political, and institutional circumstances of this private exhibition outside of the official World Exposition site in the Prater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses neo-impressionist artist Henri Edmond-Cross as a case study of an artist and invalid on the Côte d'Azur, or Mediterranean coast of France, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author discusses the transformative effect of southern climates on invalids and examines fin-de-siècle art in a medical context. Specific topics include Cross's paintings of female nudes, Cross's arthritis, and the role of place in Cross's art.