Delphin Enjolras (1857-1945) - Young woman on a sofa

Oil on canvas, signed lower left
Dimensions : H. 54,5 x W. 72,5 cm (with frame : H. 80 x W. 99 cm)

Delphin Enjolras was born in 1857 in Ardèche (France). He showed great aptitude for drawing at a very early age. In 1882, he continued his studies in Puy-en-Velay where he continued to study drawing. Three years later he entered the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, where his teacher was Gérôme, one of the greatest French orientalists of the second half of the 19th century. He was also a student of the watercolorist Gaston Gérard at the drawing schools of the City of Paris.

In the 1890s, he moved to the South of France and quickly mastered the pastel technique to paint portraits of aristocratic ladies. This mastery of pastel rich in color earned him the nickname of "painter of reflections": lamp light, fireplace flame, brightness of illuminations. He was very successful in France and abroad. Enjolras exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français of which he became a member in 1901.

If Delphin Enjolras was a prolific artist for pastels, he is also known for beautiful oil paintings, rarer and whose prices exceed those of pastels. A journalist speaking of his work in 1900, said: "Enjolras' compositions, as well by the charm of the subject as by the coloring, give off an impression of freshness and youth that he is the only one to produce and which are the cause of the favor with which they are welcomed by those who love impeccable forms and beauty.

Our pastel, is an oil on canvas of a large and unusual size for Enjolras. It is an orientalist subject, which is rare and much appreciated by this artist. With an admirable technique, the painter plays the light on the fabrics with warm colors that highlight the skin tone of the model. The effects of light and shadow allow an infinite variation of colors in this magnificent work. The state of conservation is very good, the painting is still on its original canvas. The beautiful frame dates from the art deco period (circa 1930/1940) but it is not the original one as we can date the work around 1900/1910; it is a carved and patinated wooden frame made by the famous house "Bouche", whose label is on the back. It suits him perfectly and did not have to be modified because its dimensions were exactly those of the painting.
Note that this painting is early in the period of Enjolras' oil production. Indeed the artist produced a fairly large quantity of oils towards the end of his life - until the 2nd World War - but these often lose their voluptuousness and are,
in my humble opinion, a bit repetitive and stiff.

Museums : Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean in Marseille (MuCem), Le Puy en Velay, Avignon, ...