Charles Joseph Watelet (1867-1954

Charles Joseph Watelet (1867-1954) belgian painter was a student of J. Portaels and Alfred Stevens. After his debut at the Salon des Artistes Francaise in 1902, when he earned a second class medal, Watelet exhibited frequently; in 1925 he earned a gold medal, and became a non-competing member of the Salon. He was also honored as Chevalier of the Legion d’honneur.
It was the quest to perfect the art of capturing beautiful women in paint that drove the artist to near madness.  He sought his female subjects among the haunts of the rich, at balls, theaters, salons and restaurants.  Painted in their homes or in the studio, clothed or nude, in varying moods, they are cocktails of sensuality. This is particularly true of his paintings of the 1920’s. An intoxicating decade of changing mores, Watelet’s sitters assume more naturalistic and inviting poses while clothed or draped in opulent fabrics. Watelet remarked “A woman who comes into my studio to sit for me is a marvelous poem”.