European School

Portrait of a Boy with a Hat

British School Self Portrait 20th Century Oil on canvas Image size: 4 1/2 x 6 inches (11.5 x 15 cm) Contemporary-style hand-made frame Most likely painted in the 1930s or 40s, this ...

Oil on canvas on board Image size: 15 3/4 x 21 3/4 inches (40 x 55 cm) Contemporary style frame This sensitive portrait captures the use of contemporary dress of this lady beautifu...

Joseph-Auguste Rousselin French 1841 - 1916 Head Study Oil on board, signed with initials and signed verso Image size: 12 x 11 inches This head study provides an unbelievably moving portrait of an androgynous sitter. Employing incredible technique, the artist has achieved the highly finished porcelain skin, thoughtful eyes and pink lips of the sitter with incredible softness. The unfinished quality of the background make the composition of the work particularly satisfying to the modern eye. Loosely sketched dashes and brushy swoops outline the model's head. The mix of finished and more expressive elements reveals the artist's brilliant eye, technique and personality. Artistically, Rousselin does not seem to be influenced by the friendships that he forged with the Impressionists but rather he has remained rather faithful to the academic technique of William Bouguereau, whose studio he also used to frequent. This study is certainly comparable to the work by Bouguereau, specifically his graceful portraits of women. Bouguereau championed the traditional academic style and his methods were taught to him by a pupil of Ingres. Similar academic inspiration is apparent in this work, from the conscious posing of the subject to the evenly laid colours. Indeed, alike the work of Bouguereau this follows the same classical approach to composition, form and subject matter. The Artist Born in Paris in 1841, Rousselin grew up to be a French painter and art collector. From a young age he studied in the workshops of Charles Gleyre and Thomas Couture, here he met the young impressionist generation. His studio peers included Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Édouard Manet, with whom he forged strong bonds of friendship. It was at his invitation that his two friends Renoir and Sisley exhibited at the Salon of the Society of Friends of the Arts in Pau, a region where Rousselin had family ties. Manet invited him to his family home in Boulogne-sur-Mer where he had him pose in the summer of 1868 for 'Le Déjeuner dans l'Atelie'. Rousselin can be seen in the background of the painting as the man with the cigar, wearing a grey hat...

Pupil of Rembrandt Portrait of a Young Man 17th Century Oil on oak panel Image size: 4 1/4 x 5 inches (11 x 13 cm) Dutch ebonised frame This small portrait is of a young man, staring inquisitively out towards the viewer. The realism of his appearance is striking, with great care taken in the depiction of the man’s features - for example, his full lips and the slight bump in the bridge of his nose. The man wears a rich burgundy doublet and a black cap and is adorned with gold accessories, indicating a degree of wealth - it is likely that this is a miniature portrait for a wealthy patron. The warm flesh tones of this painting and the intricate rendering of the man’s curly brown hair demonstrate the artistry of the painter, who has successfully captured the image of youth within his brushstrokes. Rembrandt’s Pupils Upon completing his artistic education, Rembrandt opened a studio and began to take students - the first of which were Gerrit Dou and Isaac Jouderville. The studio functioned as an art school, in which materials and guidance were provided - contrary to the studios of his peers, Rembrandt did not offer lodging to his pupils. The families of prospective pupils had to pay Rembrandt 100 guilders (enough for a house at the time) for this artistic education, and the profits from any works produced by pupils under Rembrandt would be paid to the master rather than kept by the student-artist - this contributed substantially to  the master’s income.When taking on pupils, Rembrandt looked for those who could already paint, and guided their styles to reflect his. By choosing pupils who were somewhat experienced artists, Rembrandt had an array of painters that could be involved at any stage of assisting with the creation of his works - in this way, Rembrandt’s pupils often functioned as studio assistants as well. In order to perfect Rembrandt’s style, pupils would paint copies of their teacher’s works, sometimes adding their own distinct variations. They would use the same subjects and models as Rembrandt himself, and would accompany him on outdoor trips to paint nature and landscapes. The extensive copying and utilisation of same source materials has rendered Rembrandt’s work and the work of his pupils difficult to differentiate, even in the modern era.At least 50 pupils were taught by Rembrandt, with many continuing on to become his studio assistants. A few graduated into successful artists in their own right - for example, Govaert Flinck...

Dimension with frame: 42,5 x 34,5 x 4 cm. A sensitive and finely observed portrait of a young boy shown in profile, wearing a dark cap and a vivid red scarf. The composition is inti...

Deftly painted, oil on canvas picture of a young man in three-quarter profile. Held in a hand carved, period frame. Signed "Ackerman" on the lower right and labeled again via an insc...

Portrait of a young boy, impressionist painting. Dimensions WITHOUT frame in cm 32 x 42

Young boy by Max Band (1901-1974) Oil on canvas 81.2 x 54.4 cm (32 x 21³/₈ inches) Signed lower left Max Band Provenance Private collection, London