Figure- and Hand-studies
  • Edmé Alexis Alfred Dehodencq
  • Paris 1822 - 1882
  • Figure- and Hand-studies
  • Pen with brown and black ink over black chalk,
    grey-brown wash, on paper
  • 199 × 313 mm

This sheet of studies offer an impressive presentation of Dehodencq’s talent as well his preference for Orientalist painting. Alongside Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), he is considered one of this genre’s most important practitioners in the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1848, Dehodencq had his first contact with Spain, whose exotic enchantments would enthral him all of his life. He moved to Madrid and took his subject matter above all from everyday life of people in the streets. Via Cadiz he would later travel to Morocco, where the Orient would cast its spell on him for over a decade.