Orientalist impressionist painting, oil on canvas, ca 1940

Charles Ernest Smets, oil painting on canvas mounted on panel, circa 1940. The work is framed under old glass, so it is difficult to take decent photos, some reflections and flashes from the camera are present on the images, please excuse us... This painting illustrates a lively orientalist scene from the oasis of Tinghir in Morocco. In the shade of palm trees, figures dressed in djellabas and haiks gather at the edge of a stream, in an atmosphere bathed in light. The colorful reflections on the surface of the water reflect a strong impressionist work, where the broad and vibrant brushstrokes favor the effects of light and atmosphere over minute details. Biography: Charles Ernest Smets (1909 – circa 1987) is a Belgian painter, draftsman and engraver. Trained in the academic tradition, he quickly turned to landscape and genre painting. His travels in North Africa, and particularly in Morocco, had a profound impact on his work. Smets follows in the footsteps of 20th-century Belgian Orientalist painters, but with a freer, more impressionistic approach: he favors light, color, and the spontaneity of everyday scenes. His favorite themes are markets, alleys, oases, and local ceremonies. His work lies at the crossroads between the gaze of the European traveler fascinated by the Orient and a pictorial exploration of the light and modernity of his time. His works regularly appear at auctions in Belgium and France, often under the titles Moroccan Scenes or Landscapes of the South... Orientalism, a movement that emerged in the 19th century with the travels of European artists to the Maghreb and the Middle East, finds an extension here in the 20th century. Faithful to this tradition, Charles Ernest Smets captures both the picturesque and the humanity of Moroccan daily life: scenes of rest, rituals and intimate moments integrated.