Amiens Cathedral - Louis Auguste Lepère

Robert Forsythe Collection

"Amiens Cathedral" by Louis Auguste Lepère (1907) Etching on ivory Japanese paper.

Commentary

"Amiens Cathedral" by Louis Auguste Lepère (1907) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notic e include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Louis Auguste Lepère is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Louis Auguste Lepère (French, 1849-1918) published by Sagot-Le Garrec (French, active 1883-1948). The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching on ivory Japanese paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 34.7 × 24.2 cm (13 11/16 × 9 9/16 in.); Plate: 37.9 × 25.9 cm (14 15/16 × 10 1/4 in.); Sheet: 44.6 × 31.2 cm (17 9/16 × 12 5/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/41342

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data