André Gill (1840-1885), The Woman with the Beer

André Gill (1840-1885), La Femme au bock, Oil on wood panel, signed with the monogram G lower left. Dimensions: 57 x 24.5 cm

Located on rue Dancourt in Montmartre, Brasserie du Plus Grand Bock is a landmark of late 19th-century Parisian neighborhood life. Simple and unpretentious, its walls are adorned with paintings of various subjects: landscapes, portraits, still lifes and works of the imagination. This simplicity attracts local craftsmen, artists, men of letters and musicians, who gather here to share ideas, stories and, above all, drinks...

This was the setting for “Le Grand Bock”, a painting that embodies the spirit of this brasserie. Painted by André Gill, famous for his sharp caricatures published in satirical newspapers such as La Lune and L'Éclipse, as well as for his virulent criticism of society and politics. With “Le Grand Bock”, he depicts a provocative female figure, emblematic of excess and festivity, but also of the Parisian people attached to simple pleasures. The woman with the bock, bosom forward, mug in hand, embodies the lightness and taste for derision characteristic of Montmartre, then the district of artists and free thinkers.