Kees van Dongen

Cornelis (Kees) Theodorus Maria van Dongen is a French and Dutch artist and graphic artist, one of the founders of Fauvism.

Kees van Dongen lived and worked in Paris, having obtained French citizenship in 1929. He participated in various exhibitions, including the famous Autumn Salon of 1905, together with H. Matisse, Vlaminck, Derain, Manguin, when the artists were first called fauvists (“wild”) for their bright color paintings. The artist also drew cartoons for popular newspaper La Revue Blanche, organized costumed balls in Montparnasse. Since 1908, he became a member of the art association “Most” (Germany). Van Dongen was friendly with Pablo Picasso and his entourage, living in the famous hostel of Bato Lavoir in Montmartre. The artist’s paintings brought him great popularity in the circles of the French bourgeoisie and, as a consequence, – prosperity. In 1926, Dongen was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor; in 1927, he was awarded the Order of the Crown of Belgium.

Key Ideas:

– Contemporary artists considered the canvases of the artist to be provocative and extravagant. At the beginning of his creative career, he often depicted the unsightly side of life: beggars and homeless people, sailors and prostitutes of the Rotterdam port. Moving to Paris, the artist concentrated on the themes of the circus. His heroes were acrobats, clowns and dancers.

– Kees van Dongen is especially known for his chic portraits depicting the women of the upper crust. It was portraits that brought him great popularity and ensured a stable income.

– The artist’s style is distinguished by great uniqueness and originality. On his canvases, bold voluminous strokes are combined with even zones filled with local color, making the canvases seem alive, as if illuminated from within.

– Women’s portraits, from which the models look with huge expressive eyes, are far from the real appearance of the depicted ones, but retain those features and specialties that reflect the elusive individuality of a person.

– All pictures of van Dongen, without exception, whether landscapes, portraits or scenes from life, are executed in a bright, catchy manner, sometimes reminiscent of posters or primitive decorative arts.

– Behind the seeming rudeness, schematism and vulgarity of some subjects of the artist, it is easy to see the subtlety and peculiar harmony inherent in his epoch and style, which he chose for self-expression.