Portrait of a young woman, watercolor by David Oyens
David Oyens (1842-1902) came from a family of bankers in Amsterdam. He and his twin brother Pieter were encouraged by their mother to pursue artistic training. In 1860, they moved to Brussels and joined the studio of painter Jean-François Portaels. They shared a studio in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and often worked side by side, posing for each other.
They specialized in portraits, genre scenes, and bourgeois interiors, often imbued with a gentle intimacy and a hushed atmosphere. Camille Lemonnier, a famous critic and poet, was not the only one to praise their work, as David won a gold medal at the Brussels Triennial Salon in 1880.
They received numerous commissions, exhibited at the 1889 World's Fair, and some of their works entered public collections.
David Oyens tirelessly painted this “melancholic frivolity” characteristic of 19th-century bourgeois life from his studio. His pictorial universe evokes a certain form of dandyism, where attention to gesture, dress, and refinement is expressed both in his subjects and in the treatment of his art.
The watercolor depicts a young woman in profile, captured in a calm and contemplative pose, with a slight smile. The tight framing reinforces the intimacy of the scene and the proximity to the model.
The ear, placed at the heart of the composition and nuanced with a subtle pinkish warmth, becomes the anchor point of the portrait: a discreet symbol of attention and presence, it contrasts with the modeling of the face, which dissolves into a soft and vaporous wash.
Frame dimensions : 38x34cm
