“Alone in the world

Signature on the left

Presented in a period frame

Provenance: Sold in Paris on February 6, 1895, at Drouot, for 140 Francs Or (Bénézit)

Biography Henri-Joseph Duwez (also Duwée Henri-Joseph)

Apart from his dates of birth and death, and the fact that he was active from 1833 to 1870, very little is known about this talented but now almost forgotten painter. He studied under Jean-François Navez at the Académie royale des beaux-arts in Brussels. He was an engraver and painter of historical and genre scenes.

In his paintings, we often sense a classical style, but executed with a personal touch.

Sometimes a painting is defined by a strong chiaroscuro effect, sometimes Duwez paints parts of the canvas with great clarity and detail, leaving other parts blurred, almost sfumato.

By bringing certain parts of the scene into “focus” in this way, he creates an approximately photographic effect (not unlike some of the great masters of photography several decades later) that immediately draws the viewer's attention. A large painting, Femme au tambourin, is part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)