Two Studies of a Seated Arab with a Pipe
Decamps—a prosperous painter, draftsman, and printmaker—was one of the first major European artists to travel extensively in the Near East. As he toured throughout North Africa and Asia Minor in 1828, he developed an interest in Orientalist themes. In this drawing, he used chalks and charcoal to draw two bold studies of the same seated Arab man with a pipe. The figures’ stillness and variation in scale encourage the viewer to imagine the artist’s voyage and his experience as he approaches or distances himself from the weary man.
Artwork Details
- Title: Two Studies of a Seated Arab with a Pipe
- Artist: Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (French, Paris 1803–1860 Fontainebleau)
- Date: 1820–60
- Medium: Black and white chalk, charcoal, traces of graphite on light brown paper; some stumping
- Dimensions: Sheet: 11 5/8 x 18 1/2 in. (29.5 x 47cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of Spencer Samuels, in memory of Mitchell Samuels, 1991
- Object Number: 1991.465
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
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Multiple artists/makers
1845–60
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps
1834–35
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps
L. de Benard
1823–60
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps
1823–60
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps
ca. 1840
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