Oil on panel, portrait of a woman by Henri Marie Joseph Arrault, 1925

Portrait of a woman painted in oil on antique panel, probably poplar or softwood plywood. The work is signed on the back "Henri Arrault – 1925". Henri Marie Joseph Arrault (1896–1930), a French painter active in the 1920s, was close to several modernist artistic circles, notably the circle of the writer Stendhal. His painting is in a post-impressionist, even late Nabi vein, with an emphasis on material, color, and volume, rather than on a realistic rendering. The portrait shows a woman from the bust, leaning on her hand in a melancholic pose. The palette is limited but warm, the brushstrokes broad and expressive, with a beautiful presence. The deliberately rough, unsmoothed brushstrokes lend a modernist energy to the whole. ________________________________________ TECHNICAL DETAILS: • Artist: Henri Marie Joseph Arrault • Period: 1920s • Materials: Oil on antique wood panel • Finish: Raw pictorial, unvarnished ________________________________________ VISUAL DIMENSIONS: • Height: 43 cm (16.9 in) • Width: 34.5 cm (13.6 in) • Depth: 1 cm (0.4 in) • Weight: 1 KG ________________________________________ CONDITION: Good overall condition with signs of use consistent with age. Some marks and chips on the original frame. Uniform patina, not cleaned or restored. ________________________________________ REF: NBR2800725.