HENRI JACQUES EVENEPOEL (BELGIAN, 1872-1899) DRAWING, watercolor on paper, a powerful, stylized depiction of a man, possibly a fisherman, standing on a beach, blank reserve beside him, his gaze turned away from the viewer toward a pier which extends into the ocean in the distance, vivid coloration, stamped artist's monogram lower right, possibly a drawing/study made in preparation for a poster advertisement, the artist having secured several commissions for such work in 1894. Retains several old inscriptions and collection stickers attached to backing board verso, including notations for "Rene Loost Collection" and an authentication label from "Charles de May" describing work as "Pecheur sur la Plage". Matted and housed under glass in a 19th-century figured maple frame with gilt liner. Circa 1894. 21 3/4" x 15 1/4" sight, 29 1/4" x 22 1/4" OA.
Minor overall toning and foxing, some spotting/discoloration to figure's clothing. Frame and liner with minor wear and losses. Not examined out of frame.
Provenance: Property from the estate collection of Jay Easton Bush, Manhattan, NY.
Catalogue Note: Henri Jacques Evenepoel (1872-1899) was an important avant-garde late 19th-century artist who is primarily known for his works in the Fauvist manner, mostly produced in Paris during the 1890s. A native Belgian, Evenepoel first studied in Brussels at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts and then moved on to Paris in 1892, where he enrolled in the prestigious Ecole Des Beaux-Arts. Remaining in France, Evenepoel studied under Gustave Moreau (1826-1898) and came into contact with Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), singular figures whose work would have a tremendous impact on his own art. Evenepoel began exhibiting in 1894, and, after quickly gaining public recognition, opened his first solo exhibit in Brussels in 1897. Tragically stricken with Typhus, the artist died at age 27 in Paris.
The present example was probably produced in preparation for a poster advertising campaign, the artist having secured several commissions for such work in 1894. According to Francis E. Hyslop in "Henri Evenpoel: Belgian Painter in Paris, 1892-1899", the artist's plan for such projects was to employ a "broad, schematic design in the Japanese manner". Similarly, while working on another poster project at around the same time, Evenepoel noted in a July 8, 1894 letter to his father his desire to incorporate "beautiful spots of color" within the composition. This instinctive inclination for bold design and vivid color is clearly evident in the present example and appears to spotlight a moment in the artist's short career during which he can be seen moving in the more modern direction of many of his contemporaries working in Paris at the time.

Minor overall toning and foxing, some spotting/discoloration to figure's clothing. Frame and liner with minor wear and losses. Not examined out of frame.