Nicolas Francois Octave Tassaert

Octave Tassaert painted the poor of Paris with sympathy, as well as religious, sentimental and allegorical scenes. His pictures often have soft, warm light and a dreamy mood.

He was born in Paris into a family of printmakers and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. He was called the Prud’hon of the poor and admired by Delacroix. His Unfortunate Family is in the Musée d’Orsay and The Artist’s Studio in the Louvre. The collectors Alfred Bruyas and Alexandre Dumas the younger bought his work.

The Cursed Woman is the painting we offer. Look at the soft modelling of the figures.