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by Eelco Kappe (Author)
Eugene de Blaas (1843-1931) was a Austrian-Italian artist who specialized in painting the everyday life of the Venetians. This catalogue raisonné provides a complete overview of all known works of De Blaas (both paintings and studies), as well as a detailed description of his life and career.
Typical works in the oeuvre of Eugene de Blaas carry titles like The Love Letter, The Flower Seller, and Flirtation. He painted these easily-accessible themes with a colorful palette and a highly polished technique, creating an immediate appeal to his international clientele. Looking at his oeuvre, it is clear that De Blaas preferred to eternalize the happier and lighter moments of Venetian life on the canvas.
De Blaas painted a variety of scenes, ranging from dynamic group paintings to portraits to paintings with children, but the central theme throughout his career was the beauty of young Venetian women, often dressed in colorful and elegant outfits. The women in De Blaas' paintings are engaged in all sorts of daily activities, like flirting, gossiping, selling flowers, and washing. De Blaas was particularly adept at capturing their body language, which he used to create intriguing narratives engaging the viewers.
