Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel

Rétrospective de l'oeuvre de Maurice Boutet de Monvel, Galerie Manzi-Joyant, Paris, 25 avril - 9 mai 1913, n°3 titré Deux arabes ;
A collection of drawings and sketches by Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel, Fine Arts Academy, Buffalo, 25 avril - 20 mai 1920, n°7 titré Two arabs

Stéphane-Jacques Addade, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Paris, 2001, reproduit p. 142

The painting sits on its original canvas. It is stamped with the 2016 stamp, lower left. THe painting would benefit from a light cleaning. A few scratches are visible in the background, as well as a few thin cracks on the right of the composition. In the area where the cracks appear, a pentimento is visible : previously, a third person would sitting by our two models. In some areas, the matter is thinner, where the canvas can be guessed. Under UV light, no repaint is visible.
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Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel découvre l’Algérie en 1876, date à laquelle il exécute cette œuvre. La luminosité et la beauté des paysages sont une révélation pour lui. Sa palette s’éclaircit considérablement et il va modifier sa manière de peindre en privilégiant le travail en plein air. Il effectuera deux autres séjours en Algérie, en 1878 et 1880. Lorsqu’il peint le Maroc en 1918, Bernard Boutet de Monvel est fortement influencé par la vision qu’avait eue son père de l’Orient et notamment par cette œuvre.

Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel executes this painting in 1876, as he discovers Algeria. The light and the landscapes are a revelation to him : he chooses to paint outdoors, using brighter colors.