Federico Beltran Masses (1885–1949) / Caricature Of The Singer Dranem Circa 1920 / Drawing

Federico Beltrán Masses (1885–1949) Exceptional caricature of the singer Dranem "Hemorrhage of the Great Dranem", circa 1920 Charcoal and watercolor on beige paper Signed lower left and annotated 49 x 38 cm (unframed) Excellent condition Rare and remarkable drawing by Federico Beltrán Masses depicting the famous café-concert singer Dranem (Charles Armand Ménard), an emblematic figure of Parisian entertainment during the Belle Époque and the interwar period. The work, executed in charcoal heightened with watercolor, is distinguished by a freedom of line and an expressiveness uncommon in the production of Beltrán Masses, better known for his refined society portraits and Symbolist compositions. Here, the artist adopts a deliberately caricatural style, revealing a more intimate and spontaneous facet of his work. The figure is depicted in a disjointed, almost choreographic pose, with exaggeratedly elongated hands and a face with exaggerated features, perfectly capturing Dranem's burlesque and expressive stage presence. The costume, rendered with whimsy—geometric patterns, vibrant touches of red and yellow—directly evokes the world of the Parisian café-concert and popular entertainment. The handwritten inscription "Hemorrhage of the Great Dranem" reinforces the humorous and absurd dimension of the composition. It fits perfectly within the spirit of the artist's songs and sketches, known for their nonsense and comic exaggeration. This is most likely a friendly tribute or a drawing created in an artistic or social context, testifying to the connections between painters and figures of the entertainment world in early 20th-century Paris. This drawing is of twofold interest: historical, through the precise identification of Dranem, a major figure in the café-concert scene; and artistic, as an atypical and rare work within Beltrán Masses's oeuvre.