"sénégal, Beach Animation" Charles Naas Around 1950 - Africanism

Vibrant painting, in brilliant colors, painted around 1950 with richly textured brushstroke.
On a beach, under an awning and amidst fishermen's boats, dignitaries dressed in white boubous, topped with red fez and a woman with a green turban are faced to the sea.
The contrast between the warm colors with the blues of the sea and sky highlights a composition looking to the horizon.

This is most likely Senegal, as the painter spent time there and the figures are wearing typical Senegalese outfits.

Charles Naas (1905 - 1988) was born in Schiltigheim, Alsace.
A self-taught painter, working in the banking sector, he was transferred to Dakar in 1927.
His Africanism was part of a well-documented pattern of the time: like many Europeans visiting colonial Africa, he brought back visual impressions, lights, colors, scenes of life, costumes...
He was also greatly inspired by Alsatian landscapes and costumes.
In 1942, he studied at the Ecole des Arts décoratifs in Strasbourg.

Parallel to his pictorial career, Charles Naas is also a literary figure of the Alsatian dialect, producing numerous dialect writings, dramas and musicals.

Oil on panel in perfect condition, signed "CH Naas" lower left.
Size :13,4 x 18,1 Inches out of frame and 16,1 x 20,7 Inches with its mahogany wood frame