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Charles Dufresne — Figures
Charles Dufresne

Figures

Rendered in china ink on an intimate sheet measuring 18 by 15.5 centimeters, this signed drawing captures the gestural confidence and observational acuity that defined Charles Dufresne's approach to figuration throughout his career. The medium suits him well. China ink rewards directness and punishes hesitation, and the work carries the fluid authority of an artist who had spent years studying human presence in the lively, unpretentious settings of cafés, circuses, and guinguettes, absorbing lessons from Toulouse-Lautrec before forging his own sensibility. The figures occupy the composition with an ease that feels simultaneously spontaneous and considered, qualities that characterize Dufresne's draftsmanship across his output as painter, engraver, sculptor, and decorator. Dufresne (1876 to 1938) came to prominence through the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1903, and his subsequent travels to Italy alongside the American engraver Herbert Lespinasse deepened his understanding of classical figural traditions without diminishing the vitality that distinguished him from more academic contemporaries. A period working in Brittany at the invitation of Jean Frélaut further broadened his pictorial range. Works on paper from his hand occupy a particular place in any serious consideration of early twentieth-century French draughtsmanship, offering direct access to the investigative process behind his larger compositions. This drawing is presented with a white cardboard passe-partout measuring 51 by 35 centimeters, providing an elegant and ready surround for display.

Medium
Original China Ink Drawing
Overall
Signed
Yes

For Sale — £400

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About this work

Charles Dufresne, Figures

Rendered in china ink on an intimate sheet measuring 18 by 15.5 centimeters, this signed drawing captures the gestural confidence and observational acuity that defined Charles Dufresne's approach to figuration throughout his career. The medium suits him well. China ink rewards directness and punishes hesitation, and the work carries the fluid authority of an artist who had spent years studying human presence in the lively, unpretentious settings of cafés, circuses, and guinguettes, absorbing lessons from Toulouse-Lautrec before forging his own sensibility. The figures occupy the composition with an ease that feels simultaneously spontaneous and considered, qualities that characterize Dufresne's draftsmanship across his output as painter, engraver, sculptor, and decorator. Dufresne (1876 to 1938) came to prominence through the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1903, and his subsequent travels to Italy alongside the American engraver Herbert Lespinasse deepened his understanding of classical figural traditions without diminishing the vitality that distinguished him from more academic contemporaries. A period working in Brittany at the invitation of Jean Frélaut further broadened his pictorial range. Works on paper from his hand occupy a particular place in any serious consideration of early twentieth-century French draughtsmanship, offering direct access to the investigative process behind his larger compositions. This drawing is presented with a white cardboard passe-partout measuring 51 by 35 centimeters, providing an elegant and ready surround for display.

Medium
Original China Ink Drawing
Dimensions
overall: 18 x 15.5 x 0.2 cm
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Wallector

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Collected by

Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris