Théodore Jacques Ralli

(Greek, 1852-1909)

Promenade au crépuscule, Maroc

Footnotes

Provenance
Private collection, Athens.

Exposition
Cairo, 1904.

Littérature
Nouvelle Revue d'Egypte, March 1904, p. 110.
M. Katsanaki, Le Peintre Théodore Ralli (1852-1909) et son Œuvre, doctoral dissertation, Université Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2007, no. 315, fig. 229 (illustrated).
M. Palioura, The Painting Oeuvre of Theodoros Ralli (1852-1909), doctoral dissertation, University of Athens, Athens 2008, vol. I, p. 152 (discussed), vol. II, fig. 322 (illustrated).
M. Katsanaki, Theodore Ralli, A.G. Leventis Foundation - A.G. Leventis Gallery, Athens 2018, no. 196, p. 362 (catalogued), p. 297 (illustrated).

The dean of Greek orientalist painters, Ralli travelled extensively in Asia Minor, Egypt and Palestine, frequently painting female figures in religious settings. His subjects are immersed in an atmosphere of romantic mysticism and suggestive eroticism, while his handling of form adheres to the tenets of classicism, emphasizing idealistic qualities. "With impeccable technique and wise handling of colour, Ralli uses the religious mysticism of the Orient as a genre's backdrop to depict costumes and countenances."¹ More than any other Greek painter, Ralli focused on ethnographic detail, demonstrating great facility in the faithful depiction of his subjects and endowing them with a monumental quality.

In this refined work, the three female figures dominate the pictorial space through their poignant design and luminous garments, animated by certain key details, such as the intricate folding, golden ornamentation and red flower that draw the viewer's attention to the centre of the composition. As noted by Professor M. Papanikolaou, Ralli's paintings are distinguished by their compositional balance, mastery of space, solidity and immobility of form, and dominance of the vertical."² All these defining elements are evident in this graceful work offered at auction.

¹ S. Lydakis, The History of Modern Greek Painting (16th-20th Century), The Greek Painters, vol. III, [in Greek], Melissa editions, Athens 1976 pp. 339, 342.
² M. Papanikolaou, Greek Genre Painting of the Nineteenth Century [in Greek], Thessaloniki, 1978, p. 114.