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Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Contemporary Art / René Mels (1909-1977) - Grand portrait d’homme assis – 1940 - Huile sur toile
René Mels (1909-1977) – Large portrait of a seated man – 1940 - Oil on canvas Studio stamp on the back of the stretcher + date « 1940 » written by the artist Dimensions: 103.5 × 73 cm Framed in a simple light wood frame Signature / inscriptions Stamp « René Mels – Atelier de l’artiste » on the stretcher Inscription « 1940 » on the back of the canvas, hand-written by the artist Provenance Collection of the artist’s family Condition Studio canvas in its original state. Numerous losses, flaking, craquelure and surface wear. Canvas slightly taut. Traces of dust, handling and studio reserve. See photos. Work not restored, offered in its original condition. Description Large portrait of a seated man, painted in 1940, still fully figurative and expressionist. The man, bald, with a white moustache, calm and slightly withdrawn gaze, occupies almost the full format. He wears a brown jacket with patch pockets, upturned collar, left sleeve dark. Hands are prominently rendered, one resting on the thigh, the other brought against the chest. The dark background, structured by elements of wood and planes of shadow, evokes the atelier. The medium is dense, worked with broad brushstrokes and sometimes with a mop brush. Browns, ochres, earth tones and blacks predominate; the flesh tones remain luminous despite wear. The modeling of the face and hands remains firm. This is a large-format piece for its period, still close to Permeke’s influence (monumentality of the figure, earthy palette, physical presence of the model), before the shift toward abstraction beginning in 1947. Authentic studio canvas, still in the family, with its stamp and original date. The generous format and the quality of the gaze make this a rare record of Mels’ figurative period. Biography René Mels (René Meulemans, 1909-1977), born in Herent-lez-Louvain, trained at the Academy of Louvain and at Brussels, then at La Cambre. From 1931 he exhibited an expressionism influenced by Constant Permeke. He participated in Art Jeune salons (1938, 1941). After this figurative period, he evolved toward abstraction from 1947. An active member of Jeune Peinture Belge (exhibitions 1947-1948 at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels), he joined the group Art abstrait in 1952 and co-founded Cap d’encre in 1963. In 1950 a state grant allowed him to work at Atelier 17 of Stanley William Hayter in Paris. His oeuvre is characterized by a concern with construction, fluidity of handling and expressive chromaticism. His paintings, watercolors and prints are held in many public Belgian and international collections, notably the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. A large-format studio piece, dated and stamped, coming directly from the artist’s family. Of the artist’s studio condition; a fine and rare portrait from René Mels’ expressionist period.
Estimate:£341.58
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Estimate:
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