Jules-Alexandre Grün (1868-1938), Portrait of the Painter's Son, Signed French Impressionist Oil on Canvas, Framed

Portrait of the Painter's Son

This oil on canvas shows a young boy seen from the front, looking directly at the viewer with a calm, steady gaze. He wears a dark coat or smock over a white collar, and his brown hair is parted and brushed to the side. The background is built with broad, muted strokes of olive and gray that frame the face without competing for attention. The paint is applied in thick, confident touches across the forehead, cheeks, and collar, with visible brushwork throughout. The signature "grun" is placed at the lower left in white paint.

About the Artist

Jules-Alexandre Grün (1868-1938) was a French painter and illustrator born in Paris to an Alsatian family. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and became known for his large-scale paintings of Parisian social gatherings, banquets, and public celebrations. His major works were exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais, where he received multiple awards. Grün maintained a property called "Les Girouettes" in Le Breuil-en-Auge, Normandy, where he painted in a looser, more private register. This portrait of his son belongs to that personal body of work, far from the grand social scenes that built his public reputation. A typed label on the back identifies the painting as "Portrait du jeune fils du Peintre," and the canvas bears the stamp of his atelier sale held in Pont-l'Eveque.