At the Studio

According to the date on the canvas, this view of the painter's studio was painted on 30 March 1854, i.e. shortly after his arrival in Paris. The motif of the artist in his studio was at the time very popular: Courbet painted himself or Marc Trapadoux in his studio holding a bundle of engravings and the motif may be found with other artists too. Pinkas focused on a simply furnished room with objects of everyday use and the usual painter's paraphernalia. The figure of the painter in his cap was painted over the finished picture, as may be seen from the layering of paints. He is shown with his back to the viewer - this may have been motivated by Pinkas's wish to express the feelings of anonymity and loneliness of a painter only recently arrived in the French capital.