Philip Alexius de László, PRBA, 
Hungarian / British 1869-1937- 

Spanish Dancers; 

oil on board, signed and dated 'de László / 1927.' (lower left), 91.8 x 67.6 cm. Photo credit: de Laszlo Archive © de Laszlo Foundation. 

Provenance: 
The artist's family. 
Anon. sale, Phillips, London, 12 January 1993, lot 72. 
with Trinity House Paintings, London, no.1658. 
Private Collection, UK. 

Literature: 
The de László Archive Trust, 'The Catalogue Raisonné of Works by Philip de László (1869-1937) [online]', no.110490. 

Note: 
Studio Inventory p.27 (150): 'The Spanish Dancers appeared at the Spanish Club and the Artist invited the Senora to pose for him. She arrived with her partner (her husband) and to avoid any jealousy they were painted as a group. The Senor, however, was annoyed to find himself providing a background for his wife’s figure.' 

Although primarily celebrated as a society portraitist, executing commissions for high-society and prominent contemporaries, de László could also be inspired by an individual's striking appearance to produce a likeness. 

He was highly impressed by the picture ‘El Jaleo’ by John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) when he visited Boston in 1908, remarking ‘No contemporary picture has impressed me so profoundly. It displays Sargent’s master of his art and reproduces the very atmosphere of Spain, together with the lovely figure of the passionate and graceful dancer’ [Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston no. P7s1]. Indeed, he was clearly particularly interested in the subject of Spanish dancers, and frequently chose to depict his sitters in their associated elaborate and distinctive costume. For example, he painted the dancer and actress Tina Meller (née Agustina Marqués López) on multiple occasions wearing Spanish dress, including in his 1929 portrait which sold recently at Christie's, London, 6 December 2021 for £23,750 [de László Archive Trust catalogue no.112242]. Two other portraits of Meller in traditional Spanish dress are listed in the catalogue raisonné, one having been destroyed by fire in 1989, and the other in an unknown location [de László Archive Trust catalogue nos 6317 and 6316]. The present work is further comparable with de László's painting 'Señorita Adrina Otéro, A Spanish Dancer' (19350) [de László Archive Trust catalogue no.6494] who wears a traditional flamenco skirt. 

The present work is characteristic of de László's mature style, exhibiting his free, masterful, and loose brushwork, which imparts a palpable sense of motion, invigorating the composition and gesturing towards the swirling movement of the dancers in action.