Street Scene in Vences-Cagnes

Albert Besnard had an extensive career as a decorative designer, portraitist, mural painter, and arts administrator. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he was the protégé of Alexandre Cabanel. Besnard won numerous honors, including, in 1874, the prestigious Prix de Rome, which resulted in a four-year stay at the Villa Medici in Rome. He returned to Paris eagerly in 1879 to marry his fiancée, the sculptor Charlotte Dubray. This watercolor may well have been done during the couple's honeymoon in the south of France. Besnard's strong academic training is evident in this architectural sketch, which he enlivened with watercolor and gouache.