Frédéric REGAMEY (1849-1925 -Studio of the painter Jules MACHARD in 1887

Frédéric REGAMEY (Paris, 1849 – Paris, 1925)

The studio of the painter Jules MACHARD in 1887

Pastel
Signed and dated ‘1887’ lower right
32 x 24 cm

Exhibition: In 1888, Salon of Paris under the number 3526

Our drawing is one of the nine pastel studies that Regamey exhibited at the Salon of 1888 under the same No. 3526, and which served to book illustration “Painters of Woman” (also published in 1888) by Claude Vento (pseudonym of Alice de Laincel Vento, 1853-1924, chatelaine of Suze, collector and writer who enjoyed some success).

In addition to the Machard, the other eight studio of painters represented were those of Joseph Wencker, Carolus-Duran, Charles Chaplin, Alexandre Cabanel, Jean-Jacques Henner, Gaston Saint-Pierre, Jules Lefebvre and Leon Bonnat.

The drawings were exhibited in the same frame as indicated by the comment of François Bournand (Director of the Salon of Paris and editor in chief of “Black and White) in the” Feu Follet “which calls” very interesting and admired frame of Mr. Regamey containing studio views of nine painters “.

The Jurassian Jules-Louis Machard (1839 Sampans – 1900 Meudon), pupil of the religious and historic painter Emile Signol (1804 to 1892) and academist Ernest Hebert (1817-1908), was winner of Rome Prize in 1865 with Orpheus goes to Hades, and lived in Rome from 1866 to 1874. Sensible representative of academicism, Machard was particularly renowned for his portraits of women (he would have made more than 300 portraits during his career), his naked or allegorical and mythological scenes, while painting rare religious subjects (such as those that ordered the Marquis of Chennevières then Director of Fine Arts).

Machard is faithfully represented in the Regamey pastel as the arrangement of his studio, such as it can be seen on black and white photographies of the studio of Edmond Bernard and Adolphe Giraudon, dating from the same era.

We recognize in particular the large-inspired chandelier rock, drapes lining the back wall. The paintings hanging on the same wall are arranged identically. Before the hanging wall, placed on a Louis XIII style cabinet, identifying a portrait of a player of mandolin, recently spent in public sale, which is hung on the opposite wall of the studio on another photography. There is also a naked woman from behind with a child. The painting on the far right, the second from the top, could be that of a Girl with red fur in the Musée de Dole. The Regamey pastel also tells us about the colours of the Persian carpet, probably a Senneh kilim near the bed on which Machard sits and which, on one of the pictures, is under the piano stool on which the woman of the artist (Ernestine Aleo, from Cuba, married in 1875) sits.

Of Swiss origin, the youngest of his painter brothers William (1837-1875) and Felix (1844-1907), Frederic Regamey was primarily a designer and illustrator who specialized in depictions of the social life of his time, sports venues including fencing, a discipline in which he excelled itself. Nevertheless he realized also paintings on French contemporary history. From 1898, Regamey lived mainly in Alsace, the region of origin of his wife Jeanne, and he devoted himself to the works of regionalist thematic illustration.

In 1888, Frederic Regamey was domiciled in Paris at 35, rue Rousselet in the current 7th district.

Museums: Louvre, Orsay, Versailles, Strasbourg, Colmar…