“Fruit Seller outside the Medina, Algiers”

Description

Fruit Seller outside the Medina, Algiers

The vibrant and lively scene in this painting shows the fruit sellers protecting themselves from the sun while showcasing their colorful products which creates a dynamic atmosphere. The panoramic view captures the bustling energy of the medina, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the local culture. The perspective that pulls the viewer in adds a sense of participation, making it feel as if they’re part of the market experience.

Biography
Born into a family originally from Italy, Numa Marzocchi de Bellucci was the son of the painter Tito Marzocchi de Bellucci (1800-1871) with whom he learned the trade. His mother and that of Gustave Eiffel , with whom he was a friend, were first cousins. He was admitted to the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris in the studio of Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) with whom he would perfect his skills.

In 1876, in Algiers , he married Alexandrine Lucile Esquier, an interpreter and translator of Arabic, with whom he had six children and from whom he separated. Naturalized French in 1891 , he married Marie Cécile Pousset in Paris in 1908. He lived in Algeria, Paris, Chesnay and Poitiers . He occupied a studio on rue Caulaincourt in Paris in 1907 .

In Algiers, he painted orientalist scenes (portraits, landscapes, Moorish interiors, casbahs) from 1876.

In 1900, he participated in the decoration of the restaurant Le Train bleu at the Gare de Lyon in Paris with a mounted canvas, L’ Èze , adorning the tympanum of one of the rooms.

In 1885 he began his research on “portable” frescoes and, after a trip to Milan and Assisi , he developed a process for fresco painting on canvas. In 1895 he received a gold medal for his work. In 1925 he published a book describing his technique for marouflage of frescoes.

He died in 1930 in Jaunay-Clan ( Vienne ).

signed, dated and situated N. MARZOCCHI. 1883 / ALGER. lower left

oil on canvas

Numa Marzocchi de Belluci (French 1846-1930)

Unframed: 50.5 by 100cm., 19¾ by 39¼in.

Framed: Height 75″ x Width 125.5″, 29½ by 49½in.

28000-LU2595214992962