Nothing Doing by Jules Bastien-Lepage

This magnificent full-length portrait strikingly illustrates the period’s naturalistic inclination for the working-class children. Within the pictorial production of Jules Bastien-Lepage, this work named “Nothing Doing” remains a poignant testimony to the daily life of countryside children. The painter confers an exceptional dignity upon a young street boy, transfiguring a modest subject into an artwork of museum stature.

The young boy stands proudly in the center of the composition, fixing the viewer with a direct and curious gaze. He is dressed in a worn dark jacket and earthy trousers that are too large for him, while his feet are shod in heavy, damaged leather boots. With his right hand, he firmly holds a long wooden rod, while his left hand sinks into his pocket while holding a gleaming metallic horn. Behind his childish silhouette stands a barrier of rough wooden posts, revealing in the background the reddish roofs of a Lorraine village under a thin ribbon of blue sky. The natural light softly illuminates his expressive face with slightly pinkish cheeks.

The artist’s technical virtuosity bursts forth in the impeccable management of organic materials and thick textures. The rigorous use of oil paint allows a striking transcription of the ground’s dust and the threadbare clothes. This gripping realism proves the creator’s total mastery of drawing and anatomical observation.