Breton Women at a Pardon

The painting is composed of sombre tones, and the women have a serene calmness and a demeanour described as the embodiment of "simplicity and piety".

[2] This work is the culmination of a series of Breton paintings and follows directly from the similar 1886 The Pardon in Brittany.

One photograph shows a grassy area in which the artist had a friend pose, and another a view of the church seen here in the background, complete with the festival flags protruding from the lower spire.

[2] Breton Women at a Pardon was first exhibited at the Salon in 1889, where it drew acclaim and won the Grand Prise.

It is often compared to Paul Gauguin's at the time controversial 1888 Vision After the Sermon and Émile Bernard's 1888 Breton Women in the Meadow (clearly inspired by Dagnan-Bouveret), as much for contrast in approach and in critical reaction, as for their thematic and compositional similarities.