Decamps, Alexandre Gabriel

Decamps, Alexandre Gabriel (älĕksäN`drə gäbrēĕl` dəkäN`), 1803–60, French genre and historical painter, engraver, and lithographer. First known for his caricatures and illustrations, he turned to painting in thick impasto and strong color. One of his richest sources was the Middle East, which he depicted in vivid detail. His Good Samaritan and Night Patrol at Smyrna are in the Metropolitan Museum.

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Decamps, Alexandre Gabriel 

Born Mar. 3, 1803, in Paris; died Aug. 22, 1860, in Fontainebleau. French painter and graphic artist; member of the romantic school.

In his compositions Decamps portrayed literary, biblical, and historical themes, landscapes, and biting political caricatures (including caricatures of Charles X). In 1827 and 1828 he lived in Turkey, and his works include a number of scenes of everyday life in the Near East (The Turkish Patrol, 1831; Turkish Execution, 1839; and Children Leaving a Turkish School, 1842; all in the Wallace Collection, London), notable for their keenness of observation and their vitality and naturalness of composition. His genre paintings of Parisian life (The Beggars, 1845; the Hermitage, Leningrad. show his democratic attitude and his sympathy with the downtrodden.

REFERENCE

Du Colombier, P. Decamps. Paris, 1928.