ATAMIAN, Charles (1872-1947) - Lot 78

ATAMIAN, Charles (1872-1947) Untitled [Recto: Two portraits / Verso: Man standing with glasses in hand], circa 1911-1918 Pencil on paper Paper dimensions: 20.1 x 26.5 cm. Signed lower right. Mounted on vintage cardboard mat, in good condition. Double-sided pencil drawing. The recto shows two portraits. The reverse shows a man standing, dressed in period costume, holding glasses in his left hand. It's a quick, simple drawing, done with measured strokes, capturing a figure on the spot, almost surreptitiously. This type of sketch can be traced back to Atamian's period of activity between 1911 and 1918, when he worked as an illustrator and traveled throughout Europe. Charles Atamian, a naturalized French Armenian-Ottoman painter and illustrator, settled in Paris in 1897. He collaborated with numerous illustrated magazines (L'Illustration, Le Figaro illustré), and remains renowned for his portraits, genre scenes and luminous beaches.