Fine Art M.S. Rau | Afternoon Repose By Gustave Leonard De Jonghe

Gustave Léonard De Jonghe
1829-1893 | Flemish

Afternoon Repose
(The Artist’S Studio — Antibes)

Signed “Gustave De Jonghe” (Lower Right)
Oil On Canvas

This Tranquil And Picturesque Interior Scene Was Painted By Flemish Artist Gustave Léonard De Jonghe. De Jonghe’S Mastery Of Realism Is Clearly On Display, As Well As His Remarkable Ability To Create A Powerful Mood In His Compositions. Entitled Afternoon Repose, The Oil Painting Showcases One Of The Artist’S Most Beloved Subjects: Young Glamorous Mothers And Their Children.

The Composition’S Immersive Scale Invites The Viewer Into An Intimate And Restful Afternoon In The Sitting Room With A Mother And Daughter. The Heavy-Lidded Woman Lounges In A Carnelian-Hued Chair, Her Black Lace Dress Billowing As She Takes A Break From Reading To Rest Her Eyes. Her Daughter, Donning A Pink Dress Reminiscent Of A Ballerina’S Tutu, Also Appears Sleepy, Resting Her Head Upon Her Dog And Gazing Toward The Viewer. Large Leafy Plants Frame The Open Window, Which Offers A Remarkable View Of A Sun-Washed Cityscape.

The Son Of A Famed Landscape Painter, Gustave Léonard De Jonghe Completed His Formal Art Studies At The Académie Royale Des Beaux-Arts In Brussels. He Began His Career Painting Religious And Historical Scenes In A Distinctive Realist Style. His Later Works, Which Often Take Glamorous Women And Mothers And Children As Their Subjects, Reflect The Contemporary Craze For Orientalist Painting, Especially Works Of Japonisme. A Frequent Exhibitor At The Salon, He Received A Third Place Medal At The Paris Salon Of 1863. De Jonghe’S Artworks Are Highly Prized By Collectors And Are Found In The Permanent Collections Of Prestigious Museums Worldwide, Including The Musee D’Orsay In Paris, The Royal Museum Of Fine Art In Brussels And The Cummer Museum In Jacksonville.

Late 19Th Century

Canvas: 35“ High X 30 1/2” Wide
Frame: 48 1/2“ High X 41 1/2” Wide X 4 1/2“ Deep

Provenance:
Private Collection, Europe
Private Collection, New York, 1986
Private Collection, 1987
Private Collection, New York
Private Collection, Washington, D.C.
M.S. Rau, New Orleans