Lot Essay
Munier began his studies under the direction of William Adolphe Bouguereau. He exhibited at the Salon from 1869 until 1895 and received an honorable mention for his painting La Source in 1882. He was a member of the Société des Artistes Français and maintained a studio at Boulevard Beauséjour, 51.
Le Sauvetage displays the direct influence of Bouguereau and achieves a final result to rival his mentor. The playful subject, suggestive of a mythological text, serves as a vehicle to display his ability to depict figure and fauna with equal veracity. The naturalistic poses of the cupids, as they bend to rescue their sinking arrows, and the broken iris which dangles in the water after being broken in the haste of the moment, give a sense of immediacy to the picture. This is further enhanced by Munier's capturing of light on the surface of the pond and the movement of the water, even detailing the reflection of his own signature. The large scale of the paintings suggests that Munier was actively playing to the Salon audience while the downward projection of the putti's poses implies the picture would have been hung above the viewer's direct line of vision.
Le Sauvetage displays the direct influence of Bouguereau and achieves a final result to rival his mentor. The playful subject, suggestive of a mythological text, serves as a vehicle to display his ability to depict figure and fauna with equal veracity. The naturalistic poses of the cupids, as they bend to rescue their sinking arrows, and the broken iris which dangles in the water after being broken in the haste of the moment, give a sense of immediacy to the picture. This is further enhanced by Munier's capturing of light on the surface of the pond and the movement of the water, even detailing the reflection of his own signature. The large scale of the paintings suggests that Munier was actively playing to the Salon audience while the downward projection of the putti's poses implies the picture would have been hung above the viewer's direct line of vision.