Edgard Chahine
(Vienna 1874 – Paris 1947)
Nina, Venice 1923
Drypoint
Measurements: mm 318 x 219
French painter and engraver of Armenian origin. His early training, until the age of eighteen, took place in Istanbul. Thanks to his keen artistic talents, some professors encouraged him to leave for Italy to train in a broader artistic environment. He arrived in Venice, where he stayed with the Armenian Mekhitarist fathers and attended the Academy of Fine Arts, with the sculptor Antonio dal Zotto and the painter Antonio Paoletti. Later, in 1895, he moved to Paris, joining the group of artists gravitating around the Académie Julian, such as Duchamp, Villon, Vuillard, and Matisse. The Parisian experience and studies with the Laurens and with Constant, an Orientalist painter and engraver, led him to progressively abandon painting to dedicate himself to engraving, a technique that, within a few years, made him one of the most fashionable graphic artists in Paris. He won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and another at the Venice Biennale in 1903. His corpus consists of about eight hundred engravings and three hundred paintings.
This plate depicts a young woman, her face turned slightly to the left. The line is incisive, rapid, and the technique allows the blacks to be enhanced and strongly contrasted with the lighter areas. The oval face is framed by a wavy bob, the gaze is lively and attentive, and the mouth is full and tight. Very few strokes attempt to sketch a dress beyond the long, tapered neck, and a large, heavy shawl descends on her figure from her shoulders. Beyond the pencil engraving "Edgard Chahine" 26/100 and to the right the title "-Nina-Venice"
Excellent impression printed on paper with a light blue background. The soft effects of the drypoint are evident in the hair and the shadow of the neck. Excellent state of preservation. Wide margins beyond the copper plate mark. Unique state.
Some spots on the back and a reinforcement along the copper plate mark, mostly visible on the back.
Bibliography: M.R Tabanelli, Edgar Chahine, catalogue de l'oeuvre grave, n.368.
