Portrait of a farmer's wife, charcoal pencil on paper, 67,5 cm x 34 cm sheet size, signed, dated 97, signed on the back side, academie Rotterdam designated, mounted, creased at the edges, partly small tears in the paper, minimal foxing.
At the age of 20 the Dutch artist Kees van Dongen created the portrait of a farmer's wife. With delicate strokes and atmospheric smudges he created the charcoal drawing in black and red. The peasant woman stands upright, arms in front of her, with a filled basket; with a slightly raised eyebrow, she looks almost jauntily out from under her hat. In such a drawing the artist proves that he knows how to express the moment-capturing possibilities of art. After his studies, he made his first long trip to Paris in the year the drawing was made. His development led to Fauvism under the influence of Impressionism. He found accommodation in Paris in the famous Bateau-Lavoir, where he was able to work alongside other avant-garde artists. It is precisely these influences that can be discovered in later works. In the present drawing, van Dongen still devotes himself to the simple life until he opens up to the artistic scene and subsequently creates magnificent works in strong colours.
