Henri Fantin-Latour
Henri Fantin-Latour was associated with the early Impressionists, socializing with other artists such as Manet, with whom he remained friends until Manet’s death in 1883. Fantin-Latour’s style, however, differed from his contemporaries as he preferred to paint in a more realistic style, using grey and earthier tones to create calmer scenes.
This portrait of his sister was rejected by the Salon exhibition in 1859 for being unfinished. He had deliberately concentrated on her face and hands, leaving the clothes and background simply painted. Fantin-Latour’s work was instead exhibited, along with other works refused into the Salon exhibition, in the studio of the artist François Bonvin that became known as Bonvin’s Atelier Flamand.
In 1861 a similar portrait of Marie Fantin-Latour painted by her brother was shown in the Salon exhibition, this time in a different pose with a more decorative background.
P.S. Read here about the connections of Henri Fantin-Latour and the Wagnerism in art.