1076 - Henry de Groux

Henry de Groux Dante Alighieri Pastel. 74 x 51 cm. Signed and dated lower right: 1905 Henry de Groux. Provenance Galerie Alte Meister, Cologne. - Acquired there in 2014 and since then in private collection, Rhineland. The Belgian painter Henry de Groux was one of the leading figures of European Symbolism. Among the favourite subjects of his oil paintings and pastels were charismatic artistic figures such as the composers Richard Wagner and Ludwig van Beethoven, and the writers Leo Tolstoy and Dante Alighieri. De Groux depicted the Florentine poet and philosopher (1265–1321) on several occasions. A charcoal drawing at the Palais du Roure in Avignon shows him in a similar half-length portrait, though in a stern profile view. In this large-format pastel, the subject’s head is turned slightly more towards the viewer; above all, however, the black-and-white of the charcoal drawing is now complemented by the rich colouring of the pastels, which is characteristic of de Groux. Further hallmarks of the artist’s style are the intense, vigorous brushwork and the dynamic swirls of colour used to render the background.