Children in the Forest at Chaville (Bois de Chaville, les gosses)

Art Historical Context

**Children in the Forest at Chaville (Bois de Chaville, les gosses)** *André Dunoyer de Segonzac, 1924, etching (and drypoint?), National Gallery of Art, Frank Crowninshield Collection* Step into the sun-dappled woods of Bois de Chaville, just outside Paris, where André Dunoyer de Segonzac captures the joyful abandon of children at play in this 1924 etching. Part of the interwar "Retour à l'ordre" movement, Segonzac—a WWI veteran and master draughtsman—rejects avant-garde abstraction for a robust realism inspired by Impressionism and classical traditions. His lively scenes of everyday French life brim with vitality, reflecting post-war optimism and a return to nature's simple pleasures. Rendered in etching, with possible drypoint accents for velvety lines and rich burrs, the print showcases Segonzac's technical prowess. Etching's precise lines evoke the flickering light through trees, while drypoint adds tactile depth, making the children's frolic feel immediate and alive. Acquired through the Frank Crowninshield Collection—gifts from the influential Vanity Fair editor—this work highlights early 20th-century printmaking's role in democratizing art, bridging elite galleries and broader audiences. A charming snapshot of 1920s childhood, it invites us to linger in the forest's embrace, celebrating resilience and innocence amid modernity's march.

About the Artist

André Dunoyer de Segonzac

André Dunoyer de Segonzac (1884–1974) was a leading French painter, draughtsman, engraver, and illustrator, born on 6 July in Boussy-Saint-Antoine near Paris, where he spent much of his childhood alongside time in the city. Defying his parents' initial hopes for a military career at Saint-Cyr, he pursued art, enrolling in 1900 at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris as a general student. He studied u...