Henri Lebasque
Champigné 1865 – 1937 Le Cannet

Female Nude
preparatory for the fresco
at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

​1913

Charcoal and ink on paper

310 × 260 mm

Signed (lower left): “Lebasque”

Associated with Post-Impressionism and linked to the Nabi circle, Henri Lebasque trained under Léon Bonnat, he later worked in close proximity to artists such as Édouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard. His work is generally characterised by a light palette, an interest in everyday subjects, and a particular attention to atmosphere and light. He is especially known for his depictions of interiors, Mediterranean landscapes, and ethereal female figures.

Our drawing shows a nude female figure caught in the gentle act of stretching. Seen from behind, the body bends and lengthens upward, with one arm raised above the head. The figure, rendered with soft modelling, is preparatory for the seated figure stretching her arm towards another nude figure in the central section of the fresco decorating the Salon des Dames of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Executed as part of the decorative program created for the opening of the theatre in 1913, the composition reflects Lebasque’s idealised vision of youth, femininity, and harmonious leisure. The graceful pose and fluid contours of the figure exemplify the artist’s decorative classicism, in which the female body becomes both an allegorical and ornamental presence within a timeless Arcadian setting.

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