An Arab Cavalry Skirmish - George Washington

An Arab Cavalry Skirmish - George Washington (Français - 1827-1901) - Oil on canvas  - 44.5 cm x 60.5 cm

The present work, showing a powerful view of an Arab cavalry skirmish in the desert set against a mountainous backdrop is described in bright, naturalistic and fluid brush strokes that reflect the exotic quality and dynamism of the subject itself. This superb work not only exemplifies Washington’s expertise as an equestrian painter but also his knowledge and understanding of Arab customs and costumes which he witnessed firsthand during one of his many travels to the Middle East. Previously owned by the Art, Design and Architecture Museum, University of California at Santa Barbara, U.S.A, this unique oil painting was recently deaccessioned by the museum along with a large number of other European works that included Old Masters, other nineteenth century paintings as well as Art Deco artefacts.

Born in Marseille in September 1827, the artist was born out of wedlock and though he later stated on his marriage license of 1859 that his parents’ names were unknown, his mother is elsewhere recorded as Marie Besse. She however did not officially acknowledge him until 1868, by which time the forty one year old painter had established considerable artistic repute and had adopted the pseudonym Georges Washington, after America’s first President. Like most aspiring artists, the young Georges Washington moved to Paris, where he trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts under François-Edouard Picot (1786-1868). Best known for his animated historical and battle scenes, Picot was to be the first major influence upon Washington’s future artistic career, instilling upon him a strong grounding in fine draughtsmanship and sound composition, which Washington combined with his own innate understanding for dramatic action. The artist’s exotic style was also indebted to his study and appreciation of the Romantic painters, especially Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), whose Orientalists views were described with similarly brilliant and fluid oils. At the same time Washington’s art conveys a similar feeling to the work of Eugène Fromentin (1820-76) who often painted naturalistic Middle Eastern scenes of rural and nomadic life with groups of mounted horsemen either under the shade of leafy trees or as here in the open countryside. No doubt Washington’s love of the Middle East and its customs was further enhanced and encouraged by his father-in-law, the military and Orientalist painter Henri-Félix-Emmanuel Philippoteaux (1815-1884), whose daughter Anne-Léonie Philippoteaux married Washington in Paris on 6th August 1859.