La Terrasse de la Villa Brancas

Bracquemond was one of the champions of the etching revival in France, producing more than 800 prints over the course of his career. The artist was a co-founder and leading member of the Société des Aquafortistes (Society of Etchers), teaching several of his contemporaries the art of etching. He exhibited regularly at the Salon in Paris beginning in the 1850s, but also moved in avant-garde circles that included the Impressionists.

In the first Impressionists Exhibition in 1874, Braquemond showed more than thirty of his prints. This work was displayed in the group’s fourth official exhibition and depicts his wife, Marie, also an impressionist painter of note, painting a portrait of her sister, Louise Quiveron, on the terrace of their home in Sèvres, France. This work was reprinted in L'Art in 1878 and is an exploration in light and shadow. Marie, the artist, is shaded by the tree above her, while Louise, the sitter, is bathed in the full sun of the terrace.