Kees Van Dongen (1877-1968) - Les portefaix

Kees van Dongen
Les portefaix
Watercolour, brush, ink, pencil/paper
66 x 47 cm framed
44 x 27 cm image size
1890-1895
Good condition and nicely framed.

Provenance:
Kunsthandel Frans Jacobs, Amsterdam
Private collection, The Netherlands


Les portefaix is an early watercolor by Kees van Dongen, dating from circa 1890–1895, a formative period in which the artist was developing his expressive line and social subject matter. The work depicts laborers rendered with an assured yet economical use of watercolor, brush, ink, and pencil. The combination of fluid washes and graphic lines gives the composition both immediacy and structural clarity.

This intimate work on paper reflects Van Dongen’s early interest in everyday urban life and working-class figures, themes that would later evolve alongside his distinctive, more colorful Fauvist style. The work is in good condition and is nicely framed