Eugène Carrière (1849 –1906) was born at Seine-Saint-Denis (Gournay-sur-Marne). He was a French Symbolist artist who was active in the Fin de siècle period. He studied in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts and later under Cabanel. His paintings are easily recognizable because of their monochrome palette (brown). Carrière was a close friend of Rodin, the sculptor, and his work influenced Picasso. He was always fascinated by the pure perfection in nature and believed that within chaos there is always some order, and that everything has its own unique perfection. Carrière was ahead of his time and emphasized that we only need to move through things that we believe are impossible to reach to a point where we believe that they are possible.
He died in 1906 and it is everyone’s greatest wish that his remaining body of his work should be enjoyed by a much wider audience than could be reached during his lifetime. His early works of art are recognized the world over. His art is in many collections and can be seen adorning the walls of many prestigious buildings around the globe. His themes are usually scenes of his domestic life. About 1890 he adopted the misty, gray color scheme with contrasts of shadow and light, so typical of his art. No other artist has been able to copy this technique without affectation. He repeatedly introduced the resemblance of his wife in his paintings including The Young Mother, The Sick Child, and The First Communion which was highly praised in 1887.
