Portrait of Paul Verlaine

Portrait of Paul Verlaine, painted in 1891 and held in the Musée de la Cour d'Or in Metz, is one of Aman-Jean's most significant works by virtue of its sitter. Verlaine (1844–1896) was among the greatest French Symbolist poets, creator of Romances sans paroles and Art poétique, whose verse provided the theoretical manifesto for a generation of artists and musicians. By 1891 Verlaine was living in poverty and illness, his physical deterioration accelerated by decades of alcoholism and the turbulence following his catastrophic relationship with Rimbaud. His scarred, exhausted face made him a compelling and demanding subject: to paint Verlaine truthfully was to confront the human cost of the Symbolist program while also honoring its spiritual achievements. Aman-Jean's decision to portray Verlaine places this canvas in a small group of portraits of French Symbolist literary figures that constitute important art-historical documents of the movement's social world.

Canvas combining the formal requirements of a literary portrait — capturing the distinctive physiognomy of a recognizable public figure — with Aman-Jean's atmospheric dissolution technique. The tension between documentary likeness and Symbolist atmospheric treatment gives this portrait particular interest: Verlaine's features must be recognizable, but his spirit must be palpable beyond mere physiognomy.