Lot Essay
The Orient provided Frère with fertile subject matter for his work. Not satisfied to remain in Paris to compose fantasy compositions based on these exotic environs, Frère traveled frequently to Northern Africa and Asia Minor and lived abroad for extended periods. The critic Théophile Gautier commented that the paintings' exactitude showed Frère's long familiarity with these countries (L. Thornton, The Orientalists: Painters-Travelers (1828-1908), Paris, 1983, p. 52). A Desert Camp in the Evening Glow is probably based on Frère's 1851 journey through Constantinople (where he lived for 18 months), Malta, Greece, Smyrna, Palestine, Egypt and Nubia. This trip afforded Frère with material which he worked into final compositions upon his return to Paris. His finished paintings are notable for their unique effects of atmosphere and light which are accentuated with rich color.