Raphael Arnal (1906-1963), The Christmas Nativity Scene, Ink On Paper, Signed, Framed, 1932

Ink on paper, illustration of poems by Th Gauthier, Enamels and Cameos. The Nativity Scene. Raphaël Arnal (1906-1966), a Provençal expressionist artist born in Languedoc, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier. He exhibited in Montpellier, Avignon, Salon-de-Provence, Paris, and then for 14 years in Marseille, in the Pintade district, often depicted in his work, and finally in Vence and Antibes during the last part of his life. He was a close friend of Max Jacob, with whom he exchanged a significant correspondence that was later published in the magazine Massilia. A complex figure in modern art, his painting is characterized by strong expression and intense colors, as seen here in this highly expressive mixture of black and red ink.