Galerie Walter Klinkhoff, Montreal
An Important Private Collection
Exhibited
“The Spectacle of Play”, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Summer 2014
Joseph-Charles Franchère enjoyed a solid reputation throughout his professional career, as both educator and student. In addition to being a teacher for more than ten years, Joseph-Charles studied in Paris at both the Colarossi Studio and at the Académie Julian for several years, and was a pupil of painter and sculptor Jean-Léon Gérôme. He returned to his native Montreal in 1890 to accept a commission to execute the principal paintings of the Sacred Heart Chapel of Notre-Dame Church, which soon led to further commissions.
Franchère's extensive academic training is reflected in the finesse of “Playing Cards” and the rendering of the figure. The artist has depicted the quiet elegance of a woman at leisure, engaged in a cerebral activity. Her refined and studious nature is represented by the skillful staging of the scene. She focuses on her hand of cards, a rose in a delicate vase by her side. As a symbol, the rose represents love and beauty, among other things. Perhaps the woman sitting for Franchère’s painting was someone he cared for. He expertly articulated her facial features and rosy cheeks with a deft softness, surrounding her with warm light. Franchère became an associate of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1902, exhibiting with the Art Association of Montreal, further cementing his standing in the milieu of Canadian artistic circles.
