Technical information
- Title : Nude Putting on a Sock
- Date : c. 1939
- Technique : Oil on canvas
- Dimensions : 92 × 73 cm
- Location : Private collection
Biographical / historical context
Within the group of studio nudes produced around 1939, Breuillaud explores not only poses but also moments of toilette that anchor the body in lived time and in a recognisable interior.
The humble, everyday act of pulling on a sock allows him to focus the composition on a discreet effort, while giving the model a quiet concentration.
This turn toward intimacy corresponds to a moment when the artist privileges the study of bodily presence, light and paint matter rather than narrative or developed décor.
Formal / stylistic description
The nude sits on a light sheet, legs folded and drawn together, the torso inclined forward, hands occupied at the foot, organising the whole into a compact triangular shape.
The lowered head, partly obscured by dark hair, reinforces a sense of absorption in the action and limits any suggestion of posing.
The palette is markedly lighter than in other contemporaneous nudes: the flesh is treated in off‑whites, pinks and lilacs, with very soft shadows that let the surface breathe.
The background presents a blue floral pattern on a pale field, adding a decorative vibration without competing with the figure, while cushions and the folds of the sheet create a gentle depth.
The handling, supple and rapid, alternates opaque passages and transparencies, conveying living skin and diffuse light.
Comparative analysis / related works
Within the PG1 cycle, this painting occupies a particular place for its luminosity and for the introduction of a decorated background, where other works from the same moment favour darker walls and more closed studio masses.
Its toilette motif directly links it to *Nude at the Basin*, yet where the latter is structured through browns, deep greens and cold metal, *Nude Putting on a Sock* relies on pastel harmony and a more open, airy space.
In comparison with *Seated Nude, Back View*, which tends toward an almost abstract study of volume, this canvas preserves a dimension of interior and everyday life while maintaining the same search for bodily density and truth of pose.
Justification of dating and attribution
The dating to c. 1939 is supported by its coherence with the PG1 nudes: construction through full masses, attention to ordinary gestures and studio light without theatrical effect.
The clear range and milky harmonies, paired with lilac and bluish shadows, correspond to chromatic experiments visible in several works from this sequence, before the more compact gravity of the following years.
The attribution to Breuillaud is sustained by the quality of the modelling, the fusion of planes without sharp contour, and the overall accord between figure, vibrating ground and supple brushwork—hallmarks of his manner at the end of the 1930s.
Provenance / exhibitions / publications
Private collection.