Félix Buhot. 1847-1898.
Le Hibou.
Le Hibou (Pauca Paucis) 1883. Etching, drypoint, aquatint and roulette. 1883. B/G 161.v/v. 17 1/2 x 12 3/4 (sheet 19 1/4 x 14 1/2). An atmospheric impression printed in brown/black on cream wove paper. Provenance: Kovler Gallery, Chicago. Unsigned.
The image shows a horse-drawn cab, a sailing ship, a figure from a novel he illustrated, people with umbrellas, gulls, owls, a minstrel and a bit of the church at Valognes. In the central image, the owl, Buhot's alter ego, stands next to an open book and his shadow, cast on the blank page, produces a silhouette portrait of the bearded artist. The words Pauca Paucis (A Few for the Few) are inscribed below the owl and the book. Buhot designed the print to be a cover or title page for a projected album of some of his works. Unfortunately, the project never materialized. The print itself, though, is a major addition to his oeuvre. $4,500.
Le Hibou (Pauca Paucis) can be considered a self-portrait in a brilliant, conceptual sense.
While it depicts an owl rather than a direct human likeness, Félix Buhot cleverly uses the bird as his alter ego. In the central imagery of the composition, the owl stands beside an open book, and its shadow cast onto the blank page transforms into a distinct silhouette portrait of the bearded artist himself.
By merging his own shadow with his symbolic animal surrogate, Buhot creates a deeply personal emblem that functions simultaneously as a self-portrait, an artist's signature statement, and a frontispiece for his creative world.
Museums holding drawings of Le Hibou.
The National Gallery of Art.
The Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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