117 - Kees VAN DONGEN (1877–1968)

Kees VAN DONGEN (1877–1968) The Cigar Makers of Rotterdam, 1898 Charcoal and gouache, signed on the right “K. Van Dongen” H. 32.5 cm W. 29.5 cm Provenance: Max Haim Collection Roger Haim Collection Then by inheritance Bibliography: Reproduced in the exhibition catalog “Van Dongen Rediscovered—Works on Paper, 1895–1912,” Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, November 2, 1996 – January 5, 1997 After an initial stint in Paris, a very young Kees Van Dongen, driven by necessity, returned to live in Rotterdam in 1898–1899. He then moved into a studio whose windows looked out onto a tobacco factory. Van Dongen worked tirelessly during this period, primarily on paper. Our watercolor, *The Cigarette Makers of Rotterdam*, dates from these pivotal years. The tight framing, the already expressionistic faces, and the strength of the compositional lines brilliantly capture a scene outside the factory: the exhaustion of a day’s work, the hurried steps of the female workers, and the icy wind. But beyond the social scene, it is above all the young painter’s gaze that strikes the viewer. Van Dongen observes these women with keen curiosity and seeks to capture their individuality, beyond their status as factory workers. The work thus contains the seeds of this attention to the human figure and this expressive power, which would become essential traits of his art a few years later.