Nude Woman Reading in an Armchair

During the Second Empire (1852–1870), Jules Dalou was denied any government travel grants or commissions due to his sympathies with the proletariat. He was active in the Paris Commune in 1871, and when it was overturned with great bloodshed he was forced into exile in England until 1879. On his return to Paris, he created several public monumental sculptures. Dalou also made a series of realistic …