During this period in his career, La Touche depicted grim scenes from the daily lives of the miners and labourers, whose plight had already been brought to the notice of the general public by the social realism of Zola’s novels, such as L’Assommoir and Germinal.Īfter 1890, however, there was a radical shift in the subject matter, palette and technique of La Touche’s work. Sincerity, candour, integrity and a striving after the truth were the qualities to be sought in both life and art. La Touche was not directly influenced by Manet’s style rather the ideas of the older man spoke to him. La Touche also frequented this café, where those he met included the realist writer Emile Zola Duranty, a critic, and Theodore Duret, a politician, collector and champion of the Impressionists. After the Paris Commune and the war, Manet, Degas and a group of painters, critics, poets and authors used to gather regularly at the Cafe de la Nouvelle-Athenes (c.1877-79) to discuss art and other topical matters. The two were Felix Bracquemond and Edouard Manet. La Touche never received any further formal training, but he came under the influence of two older painters, one of whom in particular was to have a profound and far-reaching effect on the development of European painting. Interrupted by the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the lessons ceased when the family fled to Normandy.
From the age of ten he spent every available moment of recreation in drawing and managed to obtain permission from his parents to take lessons from a Monsieur Paul, who quickly discovered his natural aptitude and encouraged the young boy to persevere with his studies. Born in St Cloud, near Paris on 29th October 1854, Gaston La Touche showed an early vocation for an artistic career.
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