Provenance
(Carroll Carstairs Gallery, New York); sold 3 March 1943 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969], New York; bequest 1970 to NGA.[1]
[1]Provenance according NGA curatorial records and the Ailsa Mellon Bruce notebook now in NGA archives.
Accession Number
1970.17.20
Medium
oil on wood
Dimensions
overall: 24.4 x 21.2 cm (9 5/8 x 8 3/8 in.) | framed: 36.2 x 33 x 4.4 cm (14 1/4 x 13 x 1 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Tags
Painting Neoclassical & Romantic (1751–1850) Oil Painting French
Background & Context
Background Story
This small panel of a Paris bridge scene represents an unusual subject for Cazin, who is best known for his rural landscapes. The bridge — likely one of the Seine crossings in central Paris — provides a structural anchor for a composition that balances architecture, water, figures, and atmospheric effect. Working on a wood panel, Cazin achieves the smooth, enamel-like surface quality that distinguishes his best small works, where every brushstroke is visible but none is obtrusive.
Cultural Impact
Cazin's Paris subjects are relatively rare compared to his rural scenes, and they reveal a different side of his talent: the ability to organize complex urban compositions with the same structural clarity he brought to simpler landscape motifs. The bridge becomes a horizontal spine that organizes the composition, with the Seine providing reflective depth below and the Parisian sky opening above.
Why It Matters
Paris Scene with Bridge shows Cazin applying his rural landscape sensibility to an urban subject and finding the same structural interest: water, sky, and architecture organized by a bridge that functions as both composition element and subject.
