Anniversary
Edgar Degas invited a new talent, Jean-François Raffaëlli, to the 5th and 6th impressionist exhibitions of 1880 and 1881. But he wasn’t accepted by important members of the original group. They had a point, because Raffaëlli - painting in the older realist style - was rather old school. And when he showed not less than 37 works in the 1881 exhibition, the others felt dominated. (The first two of the paintings above were part of those 37).
His presence at the exhibitions and the obstinate support that he got from Degas, were a few of the elements that further divided the original group of impressionists.
In 1882 Degas hadn’t forgotten how the others had treated his protégé. He refused to participate in the seventh exhibition.
Raffaëlli was born in Paris on 20 April 1850.
Jean-François Raffaëlli, Les buveurs d’absinthe / Les déclassés (The Absinthe Drinkers), 1881. Oil on canvas, 108 x 108 cm. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Jean-François Raffaëlli, Self-portrait, 1879. Pastel, crayon and chalk on board, 54 × 38 cm. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jean-François Raffaëlli, Le Carrefour Drouot, 1900. Oil on canvas, 50 x 70 cm. Private collection
