A Portrait of the Artist’s Son, Maurice

Painted in 1898, this portrait of Brožík's son Maurice represents the intimate family portraiture that ran alongside his public career as a history and society painter. Maurice — the French forename reflecting his father's Paris life and French family connections through his wife — was the product of Brožík's integration into Parisian society, and his portrait participates in the long tradition of artist-fathers painting their children. The designation 'the Artist's Son' in the title is a common attributive formula for family portraits whose subjects are not independently famous, identifying the sitter through his relationship to the documented artist rather than through his own public standing. By 1898 Brožík was at the height of his Paris reputation, and this intimate domestic work offers a contrast to the monumental history paintings that were his public face.

Oil on canvas with the personal affection that family portraiture allows — the observational intimacy of a father who knows his son's face in all its moods and expressions rather than the professional distance of a commissioned portrait. The palette and handling likely reflect Brožík's late-career confidence, with the face rendered through long familiarity rather than single-sitting observation.