Backstage With Clowns And Dancers – Large Original Oil Study By M. Duval

Description
This evocative 1963 oil on canvas by the little-known artist M. Duval captures a rare and intimate glimpse into the backstage world of performance. The composition depicts two ballerinas adjusting their costumes while two clowns converse nearby, merging the worlds of grace and comedy within a dimly lit dressing room. Duval’s confident brushwork and layered textures evoke the tactile richness of tulle, velvet, and painted faces, while the subdued tones of umber, teal, and crimson create a sense of nostalgia and theatrical atmosphere. The contrast between the dancers’ poised elegance and the clowns’ expressive features brings emotional depth to the scene, suggesting the quiet humanity shared by performers beyond the stage. Executed in a mid-century realist style with impressionistic influence, the work radiates warmth and character—an enduring study of artistry, camaraderie, and anticipation.

Artist
M. Duval (active mid-20th century) remains an unidentified artist whose signature appears on a small number of expressive figurative works.

Artist Details
Though little is known about Duval’s background, his style aligns with the European mid-century figurative movement, blending narrative intimacy with painterly realism. His use of texture, muted color, and theatrical subject matter suggests the influence of French and Belgian studio painters active in the 1950s and 1960s.

Movements
Mid-Century Figurative Realism

Artist Influenced by
Influenced by the works of Edgar Degas, Bernard Buffet, and the School of Paris tradition.

Frame Condition
Housed in its original vintage gilt frame with a linen mount, showing light age wear consistent with its era.

NO SURPRISE SHIPPING COSTS -

UK & EU: Free Shipping - price includes packing, shipping & import VAT.
USA & Canada: €472 Special offer packing and shipping price to your door.
NOTE: Any import duty is not included.

All other destinations: packing & shipping calculated at checkout.

For item purchase and better viewing. Click on the website link below: 
https://moderndecorative.com/products/woman-and-clown

British dealer in Barcelona – moderndecorative.com