There is a big question mark in the biography of Georges Stein. Multiple sources state multiple dates of birth, birth locations, and even her gender is questioned. The British auction house founded by James Christie state she was born in 1855 and passed away in 1930, while the French National Library has 1870 marked as the date of birth and 1955 as the date of her death. The Benezit Dictionary of Artists also registers her date of birth as circa 1870.
Stein is most famous for her vivid portrayals of the busy streets of Paris. Since most of her production was done in Paris, it is assumed she is French, but some sources question if she was, in fact, born in London.
Working with gouache, watercolor, pastels, and possibly oil painting, Stein was a multifaceted artist. She was able to give movement to her works with great ease, as seen in The Champs Elysees, Paris, a portrayal of a busy street with a woman riding a bicycle, an officer on a horse, along with many other moving figures. The loose brushstrokes give the painting dimension, similar to what the Impressionists were producing during this period. A view of the Opera House, Paris, also shows a street scene, but a nocturnal one. This is an engaging example of how Modern painters depict light, also an influence of the Impressionists.
The painting A Flower Market Along the Seine is an exquisite display of bright colors displayed in a one-point perspective composition. Although it shows a cloudy day, the atmosphere is lighted by the white clouds. Stein balances the use of crisp, precise brushstrokes in areas like the architecture on the left side and looser brushstrokes to represent the flowers, trees, shadows on the sidewalk, and the people.
Although little is known about her life, a lot of information about the way Stein worked can be gathered just by observing her works. In Evening on a Parisian Boulevard, the artist used pastels to depict yet another nocturnal Parisian street filled with life. With a captivating one-point perspective, the composition guides the viewer from the fancy Parisians at the forefront to the bustle in the background. The dark blue sky contrasts with the bright lights of the city that reflect on the ground.
Even though there isn’t much concrete information, based on her body of work, it is possible to say that Georges Stein was a prolific artist of many talents, and she beautifully captured the hustle of the Parisian life-style of the late XIX and early XX century in her artwork.