Where even the grass is poor: the drypoints of Jean-Francois Raffaelli
After my last post about Auguste Lauzet, I thought I might stick with the Impressionist theme, and discuss a truly neglected artist, Jean-Fran�ois Raffa�lli. He's someone who seems to have fallen through the cracks of art history, so much so that though his paintings and prints turn up, all his sculptures seem to have vanished into thin air. I imagine someone will come across them in a junk shop at some point, and have a eureka moment. The interesting thing about Raffa�lli is that when he exhibited with the Impressionists, he wasn't one; after he'd been cast out by them, he became one. This is especially true of his etchings and drypoints, in which he exhibits an exquisite Impressionist sensibility. La gare du Champ-de-Mars, near the bottom of this post, is just about the perfect Impressionist print. Photograph by Manuel of Jean-Fran�ois Raffaelli in his studio, a drypoint needle in his hand, and a copperplate before him. Wearing a bowler hat. Jean-Fran�ois Raffa�lli was o