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Lot Essay
IN 1928, KEES VAN DONGEN LEFT FOR HIS SECOND TRIP TO EGYPT. TWELVE YEARS HAD PASSED SINCE HIS FIRST VISIT TO CAIRO AND HIS VISION AND STYLE HAD DEEPLY CHANGED. THE ARTIST WAS PROFOUNDLY AFFECTED BY THE AMERICAN FINANCIAL CRISIS; THE 'ANNéES FOLLES' - THE EARLY, INTENSE YEARS OF HIS DISCOVERY OF PARIS - WERE OVER, AND THE COMMISSIONS FROM HIS CLIENTS AND PATRONS WERE DRYING UP CONSIDERABLY. JUST LIKE HIS PREVIOUS JOURNEYS TO ITALY AND THE MIDDLE EAST, THIS SECOND TRIP TO EGYPT WAS A WAY OF REJECTING PARISIAN LIFE, AND EMBARKING ON A CHALLENGING QUEST FOR NEW ICONOGRAPHIES AND STYLISTIC PATTERNS. ONCE AGAIN, THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EXOTIC INFLUENCED HIS WELTANSCHAUUNG AND HIS PICTORIAL METHOD.
IN 1913 VAN DONGEN HAD LEFT FOR AFRICA COMPLETELY ALONE. BY CONTRAST, ON HIS SECOND TRIP HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A PARTY OF FRIENDS THAT HE WANTED TO PORTRAY AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE EXOTIC JOURNEY. THUS, VAN DONGEN BECAME THE VISUAL RECORDER OF THE GROUP'S DISCOVERY OF EGYPT. AS A VERY SOPHISTICATED CRONIQUEUR MONDAIN, THE ARTIST IMMORTALISED THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRIO, COMPOSED OF TWO ELEGANT LADIES AND A GENTLEMAN. THESE 'SNAPSHOTS' OF THE GROUP PROVIDED THE ARTIST WITH AN UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT UPON THE GENRE OF THE PORTRAIT, WHICH HE HAD ASSIDUOUSLY EXPLORED SINCE THE EARLY 1910S. INSPIRED BY THE ORIENTAL SETTINGS - THE DESERT, THE EGYPTIAN ALLEYS, OR THE FANCY INTERIOR OF THE SHEPHARD'S RESTAURANT IN CAIRO -, VAN DONGEN LIGHTENED HIS INTENSE PALETTE IN A TRULY EXPRESSIONISTIC WAY. AS B. DORIVAL NOTES IN THE CATALOGUE OF THE EXHIBITION VAN DONGEN (OCT.- NOV. 1967, MUSéE D'ART MODERNE, PARIS; DEC. 1967 - JAN. 1968, MUSEUM BOYMANS-VAN BEUNINGEN, ROTTERDAM, P. IX), 'ET C'EST LE STYLE ENCORE, UN STYLE TOUT à LA FOIS INSOLENT ET FéROCE, QUI FAIT LE PRIX DES EFFIGIES QUE L'ENGOUEMENT DE LA HAUTE SOICIéTé PARISIENNE DONNA à VAN DONGEN L'OCCASION DE MULTIPLIER ENTRE LES DEUX GUERRES MONDIALES ET, SINGULIèREMENT, ENTRE 1920 ET 1930. MONDAINES ET DEMI-MONDAINES, GENS DU THéATRE ET DE LA FINANCE, MAGNATS DE L'INDUSTRIE ET VEDETTES DE LA POLITIQUE, GLOIRES SOLIDES OU éPHéMèRES DU MONDE DE L'ART ET DE LA LITTéRATURE, C'EST TOUT UNE SOCIéTé DONT LE PEINTRE A FIXé SUR DES TOILES, DE DIMENSIONS GéNéRALEMENT CONSIDéRABLES, L'APPARENCE PHYSIQUE ET LA VIE INTéRIEURE - OU L'ABSENCE, SOUVENT, DE VIE INTéRIEURE'.
VAN DONGEN PAINTED ANOTHER VERSION OF VISITE AUX PYRAMIDES L'á GIZEH, PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE OF THE VAN DONGEN EXHIBITION OF 1967 (IBIDEM, NO. 133).
IN 1913 VAN DONGEN HAD LEFT FOR AFRICA COMPLETELY ALONE. BY CONTRAST, ON HIS SECOND TRIP HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A PARTY OF FRIENDS THAT HE WANTED TO PORTRAY AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE EXOTIC JOURNEY. THUS, VAN DONGEN BECAME THE VISUAL RECORDER OF THE GROUP'S DISCOVERY OF EGYPT. AS A VERY SOPHISTICATED CRONIQUEUR MONDAIN, THE ARTIST IMMORTALISED THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRIO, COMPOSED OF TWO ELEGANT LADIES AND A GENTLEMAN. THESE 'SNAPSHOTS' OF THE GROUP PROVIDED THE ARTIST WITH AN UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT UPON THE GENRE OF THE PORTRAIT, WHICH HE HAD ASSIDUOUSLY EXPLORED SINCE THE EARLY 1910S. INSPIRED BY THE ORIENTAL SETTINGS - THE DESERT, THE EGYPTIAN ALLEYS, OR THE FANCY INTERIOR OF THE SHEPHARD'S RESTAURANT IN CAIRO -, VAN DONGEN LIGHTENED HIS INTENSE PALETTE IN A TRULY EXPRESSIONISTIC WAY. AS B. DORIVAL NOTES IN THE CATALOGUE OF THE EXHIBITION VAN DONGEN (OCT.- NOV. 1967, MUSéE D'ART MODERNE, PARIS; DEC. 1967 - JAN. 1968, MUSEUM BOYMANS-VAN BEUNINGEN, ROTTERDAM, P. IX), 'ET C'EST LE STYLE ENCORE, UN STYLE TOUT à LA FOIS INSOLENT ET FéROCE, QUI FAIT LE PRIX DES EFFIGIES QUE L'ENGOUEMENT DE LA HAUTE SOICIéTé PARISIENNE DONNA à VAN DONGEN L'OCCASION DE MULTIPLIER ENTRE LES DEUX GUERRES MONDIALES ET, SINGULIèREMENT, ENTRE 1920 ET 1930. MONDAINES ET DEMI-MONDAINES, GENS DU THéATRE ET DE LA FINANCE, MAGNATS DE L'INDUSTRIE ET VEDETTES DE LA POLITIQUE, GLOIRES SOLIDES OU éPHéMèRES DU MONDE DE L'ART ET DE LA LITTéRATURE, C'EST TOUT UNE SOCIéTé DONT LE PEINTRE A FIXé SUR DES TOILES, DE DIMENSIONS GéNéRALEMENT CONSIDéRABLES, L'APPARENCE PHYSIQUE ET LA VIE INTéRIEURE - OU L'ABSENCE, SOUVENT, DE VIE INTéRIEURE'.
VAN DONGEN PAINTED ANOTHER VERSION OF VISITE AUX PYRAMIDES L'á GIZEH, PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE OF THE VAN DONGEN EXHIBITION OF 1967 (IBIDEM, NO. 133).