"durieux, Four Watercolors, Ventôse, Prairial, Vendémiaire, Brumaire

DURIEUX, Prairial, Ventôse, Vendémiaire, Brumaire.
Four watercolors on pen and ink.
Brown wood frame.
Signed lower right Durieux.
Dimensions: H. 31 cm, W. 24 cm.
Dimensions with frame: H. 32.5 cm, W. 25.5 cm.
Tear in the upper right corner on Brumaire.

Our four watercolors, created in the 1920s, illustrate four revolutionary months: Ventôse (February-March), Prairial (May-June), Vendémiaire (September-October), and Brumaire (October-November).

They are signed Durieux, perhaps Joseph, who lived from 1877 to 1954, about whom we have little biographical information.

Sketched in a lively style, they draw on both Art Deco and Art Nouveau aesthetics. The composition is dynamic, the details
abundant, and the precise drawing is as refined as the dresses of the young women, who vie for elegance. These mischievous young women are all depicted in a lighthearted and playful manner.

VENTÔSE
In this harsh winter, a young woman, battling violent winds, struggles to pull down the folds of her dress and preserve her modesty. Her elegant plumed hat is held only by a thin ribbon tied around her neck, unlike the top hat and the tavern sign, already swept away by the gusts. Her wide face reveals her astonishment when her pet dog has no choice but to crouch to escape the gusts that carry off the chic attire and the blonde curls of our coquettish young woman in decorative swirls and arabesques.

PRAIRIAL
In these spring weeks, a young woman surrenders to a moment of rediscovered communion with nature.
Though her eyes are closed, her lips, stretched forward, part slightly at the approach of curious butterflies flitting about the meadow. The setting is bucolic, as the young woman's attire is carefully chosen and sophisticated: a high-waisted yellow dress with puffed sleeves, an elegantly held scarlet parasol, and a refined handbag embellished with roses.

VENDEMIAIRE
At harvest time, a young woman indulges in a moment of theatrical tasting during a grape-picking session.
Perched on a low wall surrounded by trellises laden with ripe fruit, our model prepares to savor a bunch, which she holds up in her
outstretched hand above her slightly parted mouth. Her reclining, unsteady posture has the effect of further emphasizing her décolletage and revealing her slender legs.

BRUMAIRE
In the heart of autumn, a mischievous young woman prepares to toss a penis towards a handsome, fat young man to better attract his attention.
Hidden behind the base of a statue, she takes her position and carefully draws the folds of her dress towards her, revealing the sight of her delicate legs encased in ballet flats. As for the young man in the bicorn hat, he is far from suspecting the maneuver taking place behind his back, his gaze fixed on his spectacles, gazing into the distance.