"durieux, Prairial Watercolor"

DURIEUX, Prairial
Watercolor over pen strokes.
Brown wooden frame.
Signed lower right.
Dimensions: H. 31 cm, W. 23.7 cm
Dimensions with frame: H. 32.5 cm, W. 25.5 cm

Our watercolor, made in the 1920s, illustrates Prairial, one of the revolutionary months (May - June).
It is signed Durieux, perhaps Joseph Durieux (1877-1954) or René Durieux (1892-1952).

In these weeks of spring, a young woman abandons herself to a moment of communion rediscovered with nature. If her eyes are closed, her lips stretched forward part at the approach of curious butterflies that flutter randomly across the meadow. The setting is bucolic when the young woman's attire is neat and refined with her high-waisted yellow dress adorned with puffed sleeves, her elegantly held scarlet parasol and her refined handbag embellished with roses.

Sketched in a spirited style, this watercolor borrows from both Art Deco and Art Nouveau aesthetics. The composition is dynamic, the details abundant and the precise drawing is just as refined as the young woman's attire, which rivals elegance. This mischievous young woman is portrayed in a light and bawdy mode.