Solitude by Guillaume Seignac

Guillaume Seignac
1870-1924 | French 

Solitude

Signed “G-Seignac” (lower right)
Oil on canvas

French Academic painter Guillaume Seignac was renowned for his masterful treatment of the idealized nude. His languishing female subjects based on Greco-Roman prototypes were and remain a favorite from the artist's oeuvre. Solitude is exemplary of this preferred subject. Draped in sheer white fabric that lays over her otherwise nude form, she appears as though she has just been interrupted in her solitary enjoyment of the sunset beyond her. Gazing back towards the viewer with a timid yet welcoming expression, she is rendered with a remarkable sense of personality and the high degree of technical skill that sets Seignac apart from his contemporaries. In terms of style, the artist's paintings are perfect examples of the forms favored by the Paris Salon during his lifetime.

Born in Rennes in 1870, Seignac began his training in Paris in 1889 at the Academie Julian. He was a student of William-Adolphe Bouguereau, whose influence can be seen in both the style and subject matter of his work. Seignac frequently exhibited at the Paris Salon, and his meticulousness and keen sense of balance and color won him numerous medals, including an honorable mention in 1900 and a third-class medal in 1903. 

Trained in the Academic style of the École des Beaux-Arts, Seignac embraced both the techniques and classical subject matter of the Italian Renaissance masters, whose work enjoyed a surge in popularity in Paris in the late 19th century. As with most French Academic painters, Seignac’s technical skills are masterful, while his color balances and compositional style are on par with the great artists of the Renaissance. During his lifetime, Seignac’s compositions appealed to both traditional art buyers and avant-garde connoisseurs alike, and he enjoyed financial success and critical acclaim.

Canvas: 29" high x 39 5/8" wide
Frame: 40 7/8" high x 51 3/8" wide