Polynesian, 1945
Oil on canvas
25 x 20 inches
Biography
Guy Pène du Bois was born in 1894 in Brooklyn, to a Creole family of French descent. He first studied with William Merritt Chase at the New York School of Art and later continued his training with Robert Henri. Henri’s instruction was a determining factor in Pène du Bois’ lifelong belief in “real life” as the ideal subject matter. In 1905, Pène du Bois made his first visit to Paris, where he painted scenes of fashionable people in cafes rendered in the dark tonalities and impasto associated with the Ashcan School. By 1920, he had achieved his mature style, which was characterized by stylized, rounded, sculptural figures. His best and most popular subjects are his paintings of high society, which he gently satirized. His gift for satire transferred to his art criticism, which gained him respect as an observer of New York, in both painted image and written word.
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