Cambridge Art Gallery is proud to present to you Joseph Bail’s “Maid with Lemonade,” an astounding work which exemplifies the subject matter for which Bail was best known. Born during an era in which the progression of art was sporadic and scattered, Bail chose to disregard the movements of his day and create a Realist style all of his own which both embraced the past and embodied its values. His work was a subtle rejection of the industrialization and modernization of the times, all the while idealizing the simpler times of the past which appealed greatly to his audience. Cambridge Art Gallery is proud to present to you Joseph Bail’s “Maid with Lemonade,” an astounding work which exemplifies the subject matter for which Bail was best known. Born during an era in which the progression of art was sporadic and scattered, Bail chose to disregard the movements of his day and create a Realist style all of his own which both embraced the past and embodied its values. His work was a subtle rejection of the industrialization and modernization of the times, all the while idealizing the simpler times of the past which appealed greatly to his audience.
Bail possessed a rare and sometimes overlooked quality of incorporating still lifes into a greater picture. His early work, which was predominantly still lifes, proved to be great practice for his later, more complex, and more renowned works. Usually portraying his figures midday, he captured the light coming through the window and reflecting on the copper and silver he so often and so beautifully depicted. In these depictions, Bail captured maids and cooks wearing light expressions with an apparent disregard for the difficulty of their labor. His figures appear approachable and mirror the social conditions of the time in a manner that both attracted and maintained his wide and well deserved audience. Cambridge Art Gallery is delighted to share with you this culminating painting in which Bail is in his prime.
