Jongen met een tekenboek - Nicolas Bernard Lépicié

A portrait of a young boy holding a sketchbook, painted by Nicolas Bernard Lépicié in the late eighteenth century.

Nicolas Bernard Lépicié, a painter active in eighteenth-century France, produced this study of a young boy holding a sketchbook. The work reflects the period's interest in genre painting and the depiction of childhood as a subject of quiet observation. The boy wears a simple hat and a plain jacket, his gaze directed away from the viewer as if caught in a moment of contemplation or artistic focus.

Lépicié employs a restrained palette, relying on muted tones of grey, brown, and soft ochre to define the form and texture of the subject's clothing and the background. The green cover of the sketchbook provides a subtle contrast to the otherwise neutral colour scheme. The brushwork is controlled, allowing for a smooth transition of light across the boy's face, which is illuminated from the left. This lighting technique draws attention to the soft features of the youth and the delicate handling of the hands holding the book.

Unlike the more theatrical compositions of his contemporaries, Lépicié opts for a direct, intimate approach. The composition is focused entirely on the figure, removing extraneous details to ensure the viewer concentrates on the boy's expression. The inclusion of the drawing implement and the book suggests a narrative of education or artistic pursuit, themes that were common in the pedagogical literature of the Enlightenment. This print captures the technical precision of the original oil painting, preserving the tonal balance and the gentle characterisation of the sitter. It is a representative example of the artist's ability to imbue a simple portrait with a sense of stillness and human presence, characteristic of his contributions to the French school of the late eighteenth century.