Arab school. #2

by John Frederick Lewis

Title

Arab school. #2

Artist

John Frederick Lewis

Medium

Painting - Watercolor

Description

Arab School. Artist: John Frederick Lewis (British, London 1805-1876 Walton-on-Thames). Dimensions: sheet: 11 11/16 x 19 1/8 in. (29.7 x 48.6 cm). Date: 1841-51.
For most of the 1840s, Lewis lived in Egypt, where he famously adopted aspects of a pasha's dress and manner. Among the most accomplished of the Victorian "Orientalists," he is noted for his total mastery of the watercolor medium and his eye for rich detail. In this study for an exhibited work of the same title (Victoria and Albert Museum, London), Lewis captured the sleepy routine of a Cairo schoolroom, centered on a boy reading for a bearded teacher whose attention appears to be elsewhere. The drawing concentrates on the faces and turbans of the seated students and indicates the setting broadly, using the brown paper to suggest unadorned walls and floor and to provide a base for quickly brushed costume elements and the masterfully rendered wood grain of the teacher's desk. In contrast to Lewis's finished watercolors, with their elaborate detailing, this study demonstrates his rapid, informal use of the medium. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

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June 21st, 2019

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