Le Point-du-Jour - Auguste Louis Lepère

An atmospheric etching by Auguste Louis Lepère depicting the Point-du-Jour in Paris, featuring the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Auguste Louis Lepère was a master of printmaking, known for his technical precision and his ability to capture the atmosphere of late nineteenth-century Paris. In this etching, he depicts the Point-du-Jour, a specific area along the Seine, with the Eiffel Tower visible in the distance. The work serves as a record of the urban transformation occurring in the city during this period.

Lepère employs a variety of mark-making techniques to define the scene. The foreground features figures gathered near the riverbank, rendered with quick, descriptive strokes. The middle ground contains the river traffic and the structures lining the quay, where the artist uses cross-hatching to build shadow and texture. The background opens up to reveal the expansive sky and the silhouette of the tower, which was a relatively new addition to the Parisian skyline at the time of the work's creation.

The composition is structured to lead the eye from the immediate activity in the foreground, across the water, and towards the horizon. Lepère balances the density of the architectural elements on the left with the open space of the river, creating a sense of scale. His approach to light and shadow is restrained, relying on the contrast between the white of the paper and the black ink to define form. This print demonstrates his skill in translating the complexity of a bustling city into a controlled, graphic format. It remains a clear example of the printmaking traditions that flourished in France during the late 1800s, reflecting the artist's interest in both the social life of the city and its changing physical appearance.