Lot Essay
From the work of Delacroix and Ingres at the beginning of the nineteenth century to Picasso's 1955 series based on Delacroix's Femmes d'Alger, orientalism was one of the key elements in the evolution of modern French painting. In the exoticism and romanticism of its subject matter, and the intensity of its color and light, orientalism had a tremendous impact on both motifs and techniques throughout this period.
Orientalism perfectly suited van Dongen's artistic temperament. Along with Matisse, van Dongen was the Fauve artist most captivated by the human figure. In a series of paintings of a single model executed between 1906 to 1910, and culminating in Anita en Alme, van Dongen produced some of the most energetic and erotically charged examples of orientalism in French painting.
Orientalism perfectly suited van Dongen's artistic temperament. Along with Matisse, van Dongen was the Fauve artist most captivated by the human figure. In a series of paintings of a single model executed between 1906 to 1910, and culminating in Anita en Alme, van Dongen produced some of the most energetic and erotically charged examples of orientalism in French painting.