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Un Univers intime. Paintings from the Frits Lugt Collection
english | français
105
Louis-Gabriel-Eugène Isabey
(Paris 1803-1886 Paris)
The dyeworks in the souk, Algiers
Canvas, laid down on board, 28.8 x 24.5 cm
Acquired in 2011; inv. 2011-s.10

In 1830, when he was still a young artist, Isabey went on a military expedition to Algiers. There he made this sketch of cloth that had just been removed from a dye bath and was hanging in an alley to dry in the breeze. The bright colours, which were clearly this intense, and the broad brushstrokes give this painting an unusually modern look. The young man in the distance in African dress provides another spot of local colour.