Artwork
Une Caravane en Repos en Kabylie
Une Caravane en Repos en Kabylie is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Gustavo Simoni. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Gustavo Simoni's 1885 watercolour, Une Caravane en Repos en Kabylie, captures a desert caravan at rest. The scene is populated with people and animals, rendered in a loose, expressive style.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a group of people and animals in a desert setting, with a sheep being sheared at its centre. The artist highlights the everyday activities and communal work of the people, conveying a sense of movement and activity.
Technique & Style
Simoni's watercolour is characterised by its loose, sketchy style and earthy colour palette, punctuated by touches of brighter colour. The unfinished quality of the work adds to its sense of energy and movement.
History & Provenance
The watercolour was originally listed in a Grundy & Smith exhibition catalogue in Manchester, priced at £90. It later entered the Gorman collection in Ringwood around 1966. A related oil painting, The Halt of the Caravan, was documented in London in 1984.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gustavo Simoni (5 November 1845, in Rome – 10 May 1926, in Palestrina) was an Italian painter, watercolorist and art teacher. He is best known for his Orientalist scenes.
- Halt of Caravans at the Wells of Saba (Beersheba) in the Desert South of Hebron
An Encampment in the Atlas Mountains
Fantasia in Egypt
Fountain of the Virgin, Nazareth
A Halt in the Desert
The Corn Market, Tangier
Eastern Festival
Village men conversing with two armed horsemen, Algiers
Cairo Seen from the Kasr-el-Nil Bridge
The daughter of Zion
The snake charmer
Leaving the Oasis