The Young Artist, 1913, a Haunting Avant Garde Self Portrait by Greek Artist in Paris Oil on Canvas

1900 - 1920

Sold by Skippings Fine Arts

Description

A dashing, audacious, self questioning self portrait of a young foreign artist at the epicentre of modernism which was Paris in the 1910s.

Born in Smyrna, Greece, “Yanko”/Jean Varda (1893-1971) made his mark by painting portraits of socialites in Athens when only in his teens.

Hailed as a child prodigy, his talent transported him from his home country of Greece to the French Capital in the year 1913. Varda enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and soon, his talent and charismatic personality attracted the leading artists and intellectuals of the day—from Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque to Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin. The painting presented here is likely to be a rare self portrait from exactly this period. On an excellent website dedicated to Jean Varda, I found a photograph of the artist in the 1910, and the likeness is unmistakable.

Regrettably, Picasso called Varda's art as "too academic", and this led the artist to question his ability and to drop out of school. He subsequently moved to England in 1914, married his first wife, and reinvented himself as a ballet dancer. In time, however, the undeniable lure of painting and dissolution of his marriage prompted Varda to return to Paris. He immersed himself in the vibrant cultural milieu and embraced the avant-garde art movements of Dadaism, Surrealism, and Cubism. From 1929 until 1939, Varda split his time between London and the Mediterranean town of Cassis where he lived with his friend and fellow artist, Roland Penrose. He would later continue his artistic career on the American West Coast, in California.

Our oil on canvas measures 41 x 33 cm and is signed at the lower left. The overall size in a period oak frame is 40 x 48 cm.

Physical Dimensions

Height

41cm (16.14")

Width

33cm (12.99")

Depth

1cm (0.39")

Declaration

Skippings Fine Arts has dated this piece to the 1910s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA913063

Dealers Notes

Nous parlons français, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.

Description

A dashing, audacious, self questioning self portrait of a young foreign artist at the epicentre of modernism which was Paris in the 1910s.

“

Born in Smyrna, Greece, “Yanko”/Jean Varda (1893-1971) made his mark by painting portraits of socialites in Athens when only in his teens.

Skippings Fine Arts

fig 1. The young artist, 1913, a haunting avant garde self portrait by Greek artist in Paris oil on canvas — fig 1. The Young Artist, 1913, a Haunting Avant Garde Self Portrait by Greek Artist in Paris Oil on Canvas

Hailed as a child prodigy, his talent transported him from his home country of Greece to the French Capital in the year 1913. Varda enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and soon, his talent and charismatic personality attracted the leading artists and intellectuals of the day—from Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque to Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin. The painting presented here is likely to be a rare self portrait from exactly this period. On an excellent website dedicated to Jean Varda, I found a photograph of the artist in the 1910, and the likeness is unmistakable.

fig 2. The young artist, 1913, a haunting avant garde self portrait by Greek artist in Paris oil on canvas — fig 2. The Young Artist, 1913, a Haunting Avant Garde Self Portrait by Greek Artist in Paris Oil on Canvas

Regrettably, Picasso called Varda's art as "too academic", and this led the artist to question his ability and to drop out of school. He subsequently moved to England in 1914, married his first wife, and reinvented himself as a ballet dancer. In time, however, the undeniable lure of painting and dissolution of his marriage prompted Varda to return to Paris. He immersed himself in the vibrant cultural milieu and embraced the avant-garde art movements of Dadaism, Surrealism, and Cubism. From 1929 until 1939, Varda split his time between London and the Mediterranean town of Cassis where he lived with his friend and fellow artist, Roland Penrose. He would later continue his artistic career on the American West Coast, in California.

Our oil on canvas measures 41 x 33 cm and is signed at the lower left. The overall size in a period oak frame is 40 x 48 cm.