Dans les bois
Oil on canvas.
This painting depicts a young nude woman in the woods. She is standing in a so-called “Venus” posture, with her arms raised behind her head and her body in slight contraposto, with the right leg slightly bent.
Period: 1875-1876
Painter: Henri Gervex (1852-1876)
Signature: “H. GERVEX” on the left at the bottom
Exhibition: Salon of 1876, Palais des Champs-Elysées, 1st May 1876, no. 887 of the Exhibition.
Bibliography: This painting is in the Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of Henri Gervex, currently being prepared by Jean-Christophe Pralon-Gourvennec.
Size: 209 x 95 cm 82 1/4 x 37 1/3 in
The preparatory drawing for this picture is in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille, under the inventory number W 2988, SPBD83.
Henri Gervex exhibited “In the Woods” and “Autopsy at the Hôtel Dieu” at the Salon of 1876. He won a medal, which placed him “out of competition” and also gave permanent access to future Salons without having to pass before the Jury.