Evening in Gerberoy
Henri Le Sidaner French
Dedicatee Charles-Henri Hirsch French
Not on view
In 1901, Le Sidaner settled in the small medieval town of Gerberoy (Oise), which he found largely deserted due to urbanization over the course of the nineteenth century. The empty streets and squares that he often depicted at night, such as in this drawing, provided the perfect setting for conjuring a dreamlike atmosphere resonant with his interest in Symbolism. The presence of the isolated female figure with her head bowed and arms clasped enhances the strangeness of the scene. Le Sidaner used subtle hatching of black wax crayon to build tonal passages of light and shadow, further augmenting the mood of the drawing. The artist dedicated the work to Charles-Henri Hirsch, a friend and author whom he welcomed to Gerberoy and who later set one of his novels there, dedicating the book, in turn, to Le Sidaner.
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