The Online Hermann-Paul Project

Description: This piece was dated by Christie's 19th Cetury art department. The signature is consistent with the period but the rest of the piece seems later. His technique is more refined and the swim fashion seems later than the date. For now we'll tentatively catalog it at 1895.

Description: Keeping one's appearance was a full-time job for upperclasses in the Belle Epoque. A bad hair day was no trifle matter. Here a hair dresser makes a house call in order to refine the lady's appearance while the inhouse staff prepares her attire. It was not uncommon for a lady of such standing to change her appearance several times a day. Meanwhile, in the squalor of Paris, Alphonse Mucha continues his role as the proverbial starving artist.....

Description: Oil on canvas, signed on the back.

Description: A portrait of a lady in an elegant pink coat. Her detailed appearance contradicts the look of impatience on her face. For the leisured class this may well have been considered "work" and she reveals her displeasure with the affair. Fortunately, there are little people to assist with a wardrobe. Unfortunately, they can't pose as their employer as she sits for the artist. Hermann-Paul relied on this soft color palette often at the turn of the 20th Century.

Description: Oil on canvas

Description: This piece owes much to the Nabis and Cézanne in particular. Oil on canvas

Description: On the boulevards we find elegance and working classes, each confined to a world of its own. Although it's essentially a snapshot, the piece nicely captures movement as four figures stroll along a Parisian Street. The palette seems cliche by contemporary standards but it was not in its time. To this painting, Hermann-Paul applies the colors of his poster repertoire. We see the purples of Shopping and the softer tones of Les Barrison.

Description: Around the turn of the 20th Century, Hermann-Paul created work in the intimiste style The term was coined – derisively, it seems – by Édouard Vuillard who used it to describe his own style. Other practitioners include Maurice Lobre, Hughes de Beaumont, Henri Matisse, Rene Prinet and Ernest Laurent. The Intimists first collective exhibition was shown at Henry Grave's galleries in 1905. The exhibition included several works by Hermann-Paul. This work was probably completely prior to that exhibition. Courtesy of FC Fine Art

Description: A pergola in a sunny Mediterranean landscape. Oil on canvas

Description: Watercolor with ink and gouache. The piece is titled, "French Inspiration" in pencil at the bottom. This work is from the October 2000 in Chartres. Its date was estimated based on similarity to other work from the period. More research is needed.