“Reverie”

Size	13 x 14.5 cm
Medium	Lithograph
Year	1897
Publisher	The Studio, London
Signature	Monogram, lower left. With dry stamp lower right from The Studio.

Edmond Aman-Jean (Chevry-Cossigny, 1858 – Paris, 1936) was a French Symbolist painter known for his dreamy portraits, often of mysterious, melancholic women in soft hues, surrounded by flowers, curtains, or hazy backgrounds. His work exudes stillness, refinement, and a touch of mysticism—as if his figures are lost in a world of thoughts and atmosphere. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and a friend of Georges Seurat, he began his career in Impressionism but quickly found his place in Symbolism. Influenced by Puvis de Chavannes, he developed a decorative, almost poetic style: tranquil, sensitive, and refined. Aman-Jean worked not only on canvas but also on murals and prints. He was an important promoter of young artists and co-founder of the Salon des Tuileries, where he rebelled against the rigid art world of his time. His work seems neither loud nor dramatic, but powerful in its silence. Today, he is reappraised as a master of nuance, of the sidelong glance, of the moment that is just barely uttered.