Oil Sketches from the École des Beaux-Arts

Abstract

Oil Sketches from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts: 1816-1863, like the exhibition of Prix de Rome paintings from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts that circulated in America three years ago, might at first disconcert the uninformed viewer. Culled from the same source as the earlier exhibition, nearly all of its 140 works are close to identical in size (12 × 15″). They are, for the most part, the winning entries in oil-sketch competitions administered by the Ecole from 1816 to 1863, and the names of the artists are far from well known. These might indeed be daunting factors for an exhibition touring this country.