Paul Delvaux (Belgian 1897-1994) Pour "Les Liaisons Dangereuses"

Paul Delvaux (Belgian, 1897-1994) Pour "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" Unsigned, titled in pen l. r. Pen and ink on Steinbach paper, sheet size 14 7/8 x 20 1/2 in. (37.8 x 52.1 cm), framed. Condition: Mat burn, toning, handling creases, minor tears, tape hinged to backing mat. Provenance: Gift from the artist to the present owner, c. 1946. N.B. Paul Delvaux received classical training at the Academie des Beaux Arts, Brussels, in the mid-1910s, but developed a Surrealist style akin to Giorgio de Chirico and Rene Magritte by the mid-1930s. N.B. David Scott notes that a recurring compositional motif in Delvaux's work is an exaggerated perspective, such as in the present work, created by the use of long lines. Scott attributes Delvaux's fascination with line to his early architectural training, but also a changing urban landscape marked by railways, tramlines, and telegraph poles.1 In Scott's view, Delvaux's perspective creates an erotic visual dynamism between the figures depicted, creating a tension between literal or symbolic male and female parts. 1. Scott, David, Paul Delvaux: Surrealizing the Nude, London: Reaktion Books, 1992, p. 102. Cloth tape hinged to backing mat, trimmed margins, minor smudges in the margins, Steinbach watermark in the margin in the u.r. quadrant, without glass. The image measures approximately 10 5/8 x 15 1/2 in.