Louis-Jules Dumoulin

LOUIS - JULES DUMOULIN (France, 1860–1924).
“Busy Street in Japan.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 54 x 65 cm; 73 x 84.5 cm (frame).

The work is an outstanding example of Louis-Jules Dumoulin’s Japonist output, closely linked to his trip to Japan in 1888. Unlike many European artists who experienced the country through prints and imported objects, Dumoulin was able to engage directly with its landscapes, cities, and people. In this view, the painter depicts a wide street filled with figures dressed in traditional attire, among whom a figure on the left, sheltered by a large parasol, stands out. Japanese architecture and walls define a space rendered through a very open perspective, dominated by a vast sky of shifting clouds, executed with a free and luminous brushstroke. The presence of small figures, horsemen, and birds enlivens the composition and accentuates its character as a scene captured from life. Particularly significant within his career, Dumoulin’s Japanese themes piqued the interest of Vincent van Gogh himself, who became acquainted with the paintings of Japan that the artist exhibited in Paris in 1890 and mentioned him in his correspondence, expressing his desire to meet him.

A student of Gervex, Lehmann, and Chancel, and specializing in genre painting and landscape, Louis Dumoulin made his debut at the 1879 Paris Salon with the painting “Environs de Fontainebleau.” In 1883, he was named a member of the Salon des Artistes Français, and in 1887 he was awarded an honorable mention. In 1906, he was named an Officer of the French Legion of Honor, and two years later he founded the Société Coloniale des Artistes Français. Dumoulin traveled the world as a travel painter, visiting the Far East in particular. He captured these journeys in his paintings, which depict exotic corners of the world using an Impressionist style characterized by great naturalism. He also explored other subjects, such as his famous painting “Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo,” which was nominated in 2008 for UNESCO protection due to its historical significance and its status within the panorama genre. His work is currently represented in the Louvre, the Guimet Museum, the Quai Branly Museum, and the Troyes Museum.