Marthe Orant
French, 1874 - 1957The Abbey Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, early 20th century
Not on view
Oil on canvas
Dimensions64 × 38 in. (162.6 × 96.5 cm)
Museum purchase with funds donated by The Whiting Foundation, 2007.50
Born in 1874, Marthe Orant belonged to the first generation of painters who grew up with the influence of the Impressionist circle. She was a student of Pierre Bonnard and an apprentice to Édouard Vuillard, co-founders of the innovative Post-Impressionist group of painters known as the Nabis. Her interaction with this group of artists who were committed to creating work of a symbolic and spiritual nature had a profound impact on her art.
Throughout her career, Orant was a keen observer of daily life on Parisian streets, as is evident in this large-scale work. Her bustling street scene depicting cars and pedestrians traversing the streets around the city’s oldest church, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, located in Paris’ lively Left Bank district, is conveyed in her characteristically colorful and charming style.
