DUVIEUX Henri French School Orientalist painting 19th century Sunny view of Constantinople Oil on canvas signed

DUVIEUX Henri (1855 /?)

Sunny view of Constantinople.

Oil on canvas signed lower right.

47x66 cm

Certificate of authenticity.

Museums: Avignon, Chateau Thierry, Constantinople, Reims.

Henri Duvieux born in 1855 /?

Henri Duvieux was an artist influenced by Orientalism, a preoccupation prevalent among many artists of the mid to late XNUMXs. XIXth century. These artists became infatuated with anything non-European and began to travel across the Maghreb region of North Africa, and to Eastern countries as far afield as Japan or China. While these artists showed international interest in their compositions, the exact theme often varied. Duvieux used his travels to describe his interest in landscape and its effects, focusing less on the human element of Orientalism and more on landscape and architecture. His choice of images was popular not only because of its alliance with Orientalism, but also because it allowed the public to recognize the presence of certain sites that the artist used.

Few details are known of his life, by the fact that he rarely exhibited at the Paris Salon. He was born in 1855 in Paris. He was a student with M. Marilhat, often cited as Prosper Georges Antoine Marilhat.

Duvieux made his Paris Salon debut with a View of Venice and a View of Constantinople, two oil paintings. Duvieux was an avid traveler, traveling as far as Constantinople seeking perfect inspiration. He has undertaken such adventurous journeys as a young man, since his debut at the Salon at the age of twenty-five. The frequency of Duvieux's trips is not known either. He may have traveled, collecting studies along the way and performing them on his return to his studio. He may have traveled frequently and performed scenes there. Perhaps he had a studio in Venice, which would explain his frequent representations of this site.

Duvieux relentlessly pursued the representations of Venice and Constantinople throughout his career. Most of these paintings based on Venice are the Grand Canal in Venice, the Sunset and the Panorama with Sailboats and Gondolas.

His last appearance at the Salon was with a screening of Le Campement Arabe. Perhaps he did not participate in the Salons because he simply did not need to, his travels and commissions may have kept him busy enough to support himself throughout his life. life. Most of these views almost invariably incorporated aspects of the sea, somewhat in the artist's tradition of the XVIIIcentury like Canaletto, but also recalls his contemporary Felix Ziem. Duvieux used impressionistic color similar to Turner's seascapes to convey intense light and brilliant sunsets and sunrises. Architectural elements are also important to Duvieux, who interprets them with care and precision.

Combined with the increasing ease of travel and the rise of travel, Duvieux's images found an audience looking for works that reminded them of their travels or the journeys they wished they could undertake.