Object Description
Antique Orientalist Oil on Board ‘Desert Bedouin’, by Spanish Artist Ortega
Spanish, early 20th Century
Frame: Height 51cm, width 59cm, depth 2cm
Board: Height 44cm, width 53cm, depth 0.5cm
Fluidly painted, this vibrant oil on board depicts a dusty Orientalist scene. Four Bedouin ride camels alongside a flurry of goats, carrying lambs and hens in saddlebags. Other figures clothed in Middle Eastern garments walk with them, and the busy scene fades into a dusty, evening landscape. The colour palette is vibrant and hued with dusky pinks and oranges, giving the impression that these Bedouin are returning back to camp. The cropped composition also gives a dynamic feel to the picture: a glance into early 20th Century desert life.
The present painting was created by Spanish artist José Ortega (b. 1877). He studied at the Beaux-Arts Academie in Algiers, likely the place which inspired this work.
The painting is signed in red to the lower left ‘J. Ortega’ and is held in a simple wooden frame with gilt rim.