Ferdinand Bac
The Siren - Lithograph by Ferdinand Bac - 1922
1922

About the Item

The Siren is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Signed and dated on plate on the lower central margin: F. Bac 1922. Original Lithograph on ivory paper. Perfect conditions. The Siren is an elegant Liberty Lithograph realized by Ferdinand Bac in the second decade of the XX Century in France. The work, in full Liberty style, represents a female figure with long hair braided on a structure overlooking the sea. The mermaid shows herself in all her beauty by raising her arms upwards. Above her, a thick weeping willow and rocks that frame the scene. A sailing ship can be seen on the surface of the sea. In Greek Mythology, sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. This work has been realized the French artist Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952). Ferdinand-Sigismond Bach, known as Ferdinand Bac was a French cartoonist, artist and writer, son of an illegitimate nephew of the Emperor Napoleon. As a young man, he mixed in the fashionable world of Paris of the Belle Époque, and was known for his caricatures, which appeared in popular journals. He also traveled widely in Europe and the Mediterranean. In his fifties, he began a career as a landscape gardener. He attended Adolphe Thiers, Gambetta, Richard Wagner, Victor Hugo, Taine, Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Paul Verlaine, Maurice Barrès, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Alphonse Daudet, Guy de Maupassant, Verdi, Gounod, Pierre de Nolhac, and many more other famous people of the time. He established himself as one of the first cartoonists and caricaturists of his time, as famous as Albert Robida, Job, Sem, Jean-Louis Forain or Caran d'Ache. Ferdinand alternated between Colombières and a beautiful mansion in Compiègne that also belonged to the Ladan-Bockairys. There he met Marcel Proust, Jean Cocteau, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Anna de Noailles. Until the end of his life, Ferdinand Bac continued to travel, write and draw, reflecting on the political and historical development of the world.

Creator:

Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952)

Creation Year:

1922

Dimensions:

Height: 7.49 in (19 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)

Medium:

Lithograph

Movement & Style:

Art Nouveau

Period:

1920-1929