Lot Essay
The son of the sculptor Pierre-Amadee Brouillet, Pierre-Andre Brouillet was educated in Poitiers before entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1879 as a student of Jean-Léon Gérôme, and made his first entry into the Salon of 1879. By 1880, he is listed in the studio of J.-P. Laurens.
At first glance, it appears that this painting is simply a depiction of the interior of a Parisian café, complete with elegant clientele and a bustling background. Upon closer inspection, and introspection, it is clearly more than that. Brouilllet clearly titled his work Suzanne et les vieux messieurs, and he had chosen to set the Biblical story of Susannah and the Elders in a completely modern setting. In place of the outdoor bath described in the Bible, this Susannah is comfortably seated in a Parisian café, and the two elders, rather than hiding sheepishly out of sight, are blatantly trying to woo the young woman.
At first glance, it appears that this painting is simply a depiction of the interior of a Parisian café, complete with elegant clientele and a bustling background. Upon closer inspection, and introspection, it is clearly more than that. Brouilllet clearly titled his work Suzanne et les vieux messieurs, and he had chosen to set the Biblical story of Susannah and the Elders in a completely modern setting. In place of the outdoor bath described in the Bible, this Susannah is comfortably seated in a Parisian café, and the two elders, rather than hiding sheepishly out of sight, are blatantly trying to woo the young woman.