.jpg?w=1)
拍品专文
Jacques Chalom des Cordes will include this work in his forthcoming van Dongen catalogue raisonné being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Institute.
Au Bois de Boulogne dates from a period of transition both in van Dongen's work and his life. In 1906, having only recently made his impact on the Parisian art scene, he moved into the famous Bateau Lavoir, the notorious residence of so many of the great artistic pioneers of the period, not least Picasso. Alongside the artists, he met there Max Jacob and other significant figures from the art market, who heralded a new era of prosperity and happiness for the Dutchman. Van Dongen frequently entertained his new acquaintances, enjoying both their company and their ideas. This probably in part caused van Dongen's adoption of the Fauvist palette during this period. Whereas recently he had often used a shimmering Pointillism, here he instead used strong, undifferentiated fields of colour, reminiscent of Gauguin rather than Signac, paving the way for his hallmark style. These bold areas of pure colour thrust the horse and lady into the foreground of the work, an effect heightened by the dark background. There is an ardent intensity in the horse's colour underlined by the contrast with the simplified almost monochrome woman, a strip of ultramarine.
During this period, van Dongen painted several images of the Bois de Boulogne. This in itself marked a gradual shift in his choice of subject matter. His work in oil had recently been dominated by landscapes while his drawings featured street life and prostitutes. In Au Bois de Boulogne, van Dongen has captured a converted Paris scene in oils - although he has tempered his street-life imagery, creating a seemingly innocuous scene, there is a potent ambiguity in this painting. While the bucolic nature of the scene seems to present a chance meeting in the woods, in fact Au Bois de Boulogne probably depicts the negotiation between a man and a prostitute, as he leans forward on the horse to discuss terms. Indeed, the horse itself and the almost phallic stature of the woman are integrally linked to this discreetly presented theme. Au Bois de Boulogne is one of the first such works van Dongen executed in oil, a vignette of life in Paris. His choice of such a subject for this painting in some way reflects his artistic heritage - as a worshipper of his fellow Dutchman Rembrandt, it seems only natural that van Dongen should turn to what is essentially a genre scene for inspiration.
Au Bois de Boulogne dates from a period of transition both in van Dongen's work and his life. In 1906, having only recently made his impact on the Parisian art scene, he moved into the famous Bateau Lavoir, the notorious residence of so many of the great artistic pioneers of the period, not least Picasso. Alongside the artists, he met there Max Jacob and other significant figures from the art market, who heralded a new era of prosperity and happiness for the Dutchman. Van Dongen frequently entertained his new acquaintances, enjoying both their company and their ideas. This probably in part caused van Dongen's adoption of the Fauvist palette during this period. Whereas recently he had often used a shimmering Pointillism, here he instead used strong, undifferentiated fields of colour, reminiscent of Gauguin rather than Signac, paving the way for his hallmark style. These bold areas of pure colour thrust the horse and lady into the foreground of the work, an effect heightened by the dark background. There is an ardent intensity in the horse's colour underlined by the contrast with the simplified almost monochrome woman, a strip of ultramarine.
During this period, van Dongen painted several images of the Bois de Boulogne. This in itself marked a gradual shift in his choice of subject matter. His work in oil had recently been dominated by landscapes while his drawings featured street life and prostitutes. In Au Bois de Boulogne, van Dongen has captured a converted Paris scene in oils - although he has tempered his street-life imagery, creating a seemingly innocuous scene, there is a potent ambiguity in this painting. While the bucolic nature of the scene seems to present a chance meeting in the woods, in fact Au Bois de Boulogne probably depicts the negotiation between a man and a prostitute, as he leans forward on the horse to discuss terms. Indeed, the horse itself and the almost phallic stature of the woman are integrally linked to this discreetly presented theme. Au Bois de Boulogne is one of the first such works van Dongen executed in oil, a vignette of life in Paris. His choice of such a subject for this painting in some way reflects his artistic heritage - as a worshipper of his fellow Dutchman Rembrandt, it seems only natural that van Dongen should turn to what is essentially a genre scene for inspiration.