Double-sided Drawing From The Early 20th Century Depicting A Courtroom Scene And Women Bathing

Double-sided drawing by Henri Laffite depicting a courtroom scene on one side in pencil enhanced with wash and studies of bathing female figures drawn in pen on the other side; from Henri Laffite's studio collection in Condom (Gers). Painter, sculptor and decorator from Gers, Henri Laffite was very precocious, creating his first sculptures at the age of 15 and joining the École des Beaux Arts in Toulouse the following year and then in 1904 that of Paris. He then rented a modest room in Montparnasse and had as a neighbor the Spanish painter Jose Clara, a great friend of Picasso. This is how he would meet the latter as well as Fernand Leger. He would perfect his sculpture in Rodin's studio without abandoning his brushes. He will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with another great artist in the person of Maurice Denis with whom they will paint together the frescoes of the church of the Sacred Heart of Crete in Thonon les Bains. As a decorator, he will leave his mark in the great cinemas of the capital, at the Colonial exhibition and will decorate the Portuguese pavilion at the Universal Exhibition of 1937. A great traveler, he will stay several times in Portugal then settle for a few years in Brazil before returning to France at the end of his life. Dimensions: 64 x 36cm