Charles Camoin and Lola seated with Big Hat

'Lola seated with big hat' (1920) by Charles Camoin; no location found

When I think of Fauvism, I think of Henri Matisse and his exuberant colours. I'm happy to get to know another Fauvist painter today, Charles Camoin, born on 23 September 1879 and died on 20 May 1965. Camoin lost his father at an early age and his mother enrolled him at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he befriended Matisse and Albert Marquet. He got acquainted with the work of Paul Cézanne and set up an active correspondence with the artist. After his meeting with Cézanne, he moderated the use of colour in his paintings. In 1913 he went through a deep artistic crisis which resulted in him destroying about eighty paintings of his work. He regained the joy of painting after a trip with Matisse to Morocco that same year. He developed a more colourful palette after visiting Pierre-Auguste Renoir in Cagnes in 1918. Camoin is well-known for his nudes, interiors and landscapes. I couldn't find the English title for today's painting and translated it from the French one, 'Lola assise au grand chapeau'. Lola was the name for Charlotte Prost whom Camoin married in 1920. I couldn't find a location for the painting either but it sold at Christie's for only $ 9,200 on 18 May 1999. For further reading, click here.