Technical information
- Title : Portrait in the Sun
- Date : 1951
- Technique : Oil on panel
- Dimensions : 73 × 50 cm
- Location : Private collection
Biographical / historical context
In 1951, André Breuillaud continues a careful line of research around the female portrait, where the figure becomes a terrain for reconciling a geometrised construction with a luminous sensation.
In the post-war artistic climate, he absorbs a Cubist and post-Fauvist heritage while softening it through a lighter range and a more vibrant touch, attentive to the shifts of light.
Formal / stylistic description
The sitter, shown half-length, stands out against a background composed of broad oblique planes that structure space without resorting to classical perspective.
The face is built from clearly placed facets with emphasised edges, while the pale hat catches the light and imposes an enveloping, almost architectural form.
The green blouse, treated in modulated flat tones, plays against the pink and orange hues of the flesh; these warm/cool contrasts reinforce the impression of sunlight and diffuse heat.
Comparative analysis / related works
Through its planar simplification and its balance between drawing and colour, this portrait belongs to the group of female likenesses produced in the early 1950s.
It stands out, however, for a more pronounced search for clarity and luminous diffusion, bringing it closer to the “in the sun” landscapes of the same period: the background becomes an active surface, conceived as a screen of light rather than a mere setting.
Justification of dating and attribution
The dating to 1951 corresponds to the phase in which Breuillaud stabilises a vocabulary of coloured facets with deliberately simplified contours, while reintroducing a softness of modelling through tonal modulation.
The signature “Breuillaud”, visible at lower right on the reproduction, confirms the attribution.
Provenance / exhibitions / publications
Private collection (earlier provenance not documented).
© Bruno Restout — Catalogue raisonné André Breuillaud