Charles FOUQUERAY (Le Mans 1869- Paris 1956) Lot n° 205

Gulf of Akaba Oil on canvas 107 x 141 cm Signed and located lower right. Akaba D. Charles Fouqueray Charles Fouqueray, trained by Alexandre Cabanel and history painter Fernand Cormon, became official painter to the French navy and toured the colonies of Africa, Asia and Australia. Fouqueray painted a limited number of works during his stay in the Orient, but his unique palette, both impressionistic and original, earned him an important place in the annals of French art. Fouqueray received numerous awards during his career, the most notable being his appointment to the rank of Officier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1909, as well as the Prix Rosa Bonheur (also in 1909) and a gold medal for engraving in 1920. Several of Fouqueray's major works are held in French museums, such as L'Affaire des Brûlots, now in the Musée de l'Île d'Aix, Pélerins à Djeddah, now in the Musée du Quai Branly, and his depiction of the naval battle entitled Palermo in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. In this painting, Fouqueray depicts the Gulf of Aqaba, a vast gulf at the northern tip of the Red Sea, through an impressive scene of the Red Sea and the Sinai mountains. Color is an exceptional aspect of this work. Fouqueray uses a rich, vibrant color palette to capture the beauty of the landscape. The warm tones of the Sinai mountains contrast with the cooler tones of the water, sky and mountains to create a spectacular vision.