4. Jules Adler, Seated Figure
| Artist | Jules Adler, French, Luxeuil-les-Bains 1865–Nogent-sur-Marne 1952 |
| Title, Date | Seated Figure (Figure assise), not dated |
| Medium | Charcoal |
| Dimensions | 13 3/4 × 11 13/16 in. (35 × 30 cm) |
| Inscriptions + Marks | Lower left: Jules Adler / Le Faouët |
| Provenance | [Ambroise Duchemin, Paris; to Weisberg]; Yvonne and Gabriel Weisberg, Minneapolis |
| Credit Line | Promised gift of Gabriel P. and Yvonne M.L. Weisberg, Minneapolis |
For Jules Adler, travels around his native France presented new opportunities to record the local residents. This study is part of that tradition. The figure is focused on her handwork, possibly crocheting or knitting, as she sits alone in a humble interior. The specifics of the surroundings are far less interesting to Adler than the sitter’s quiet dignity. Her close-fitting cap and costume are characteristic of the residents of Le Faouët (fig. 1), the location Adler specified at the lower edge of the sheet. In the Breton language, le faouët means “beech forest.” Located in Brittany, in northwestern France, the town had a centuries-old lumber industry. Historically, this meant hard work and a modest living for most of the inhabitants.
How long Adler remained in Le Faouët is unknown, as is the number of works he completed there. As with other studies, however, he took pains to be as exacting as possible in his depiction.
GPW