Joseph-Marius Avy, The Young Shepherd with Pan Pipe, 1920s, Oil on Panel, Framed

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The young shepherd with pan pipe', oil on panel, by joseph-marius avy (circa 1920s). A sensuous and accomplished arcadian study … Read more The young shepherd with pan pipe', oil on panel, by joseph-marius avy (circa 1920s). A sensuous and accomplished arcadian study depicting a young male figure — lithe, athletic, dreamlike — reclines amid lush mediterranean foliage in a moment of arrested movement, raising a golden pan pipe to his lips. His gaze is upturned and dreaming, as though absorbed in a music not yet played. A garland of dark leaves crowns his hair; roses bloom in the greenery behind him against a sliver of bright summer sky. The artwork invokes the spirit of classical mythology — the pipe, the wreath and the wild setting all speak to the arcadian tradition — though avy renders his subject as an ideally beautiful young man rather than a hybrid creature, like a faun. The figure is painted with confident authority, the musculature modelled in warm, sculptural flesh tones, set against a richly worked background of deep greens built up with vigorous, impressionist-inflected brushwork. The contrast between the smooth luminosity of the skin and the textured density of the foliage gives the panel an almost jewel-like intensity. The painting is in good overall condition having recently undergone a treatment by an art restoration specialist. It is newly framed with a linen slip and signed in the lower left hand. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request a video will be provided. Dimensions with frame : h 46 cm / 18.1" w 37.6 cm / 14.8" dimensions without frame : h 33.5 cm /13.2" w 25.5 cm / 10" See less