The Musician 1884

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret created this portrait, titled "The Musician," using oil on canvas. During the late 19th century, as the academic tradition still held sway, artists like Dagnan-Bouveret were beginning to experiment with more realist and naturalist styles. In this compelling image, we see a musician, possibly a Romani man, his dark curly hair and soulful gaze drawing us in. The violin, held with care, and the bow at rest, hint at a moment of pause, a breath taken before or after a performance. The somewhat theatrical garb, complete with a frilled shirt, seems to place the musician as a traveling performer, maybe even an outsider. Dagnan-Bouveret perhaps asks us to consider the role of the artist, the musician, and the other, and maybe even to reflect on our own place in society's orchestra.