Marie Jose Gustave

Georges Antoine Rochegrosse was born to Élise Marie Bourotte (1828–1904) and Jules Jean Baptiste Rochegrosse, who died in 1874. In 1875, his mother remarried with poet Théodore de Banville, of which Georges-Antoine became the adopted son. He frequented the artists and authors his stepfather received at his home, Paul Verlaine, Mallarmé, Arthur Rimbaud, Victor Hugo and Gustave Flaubert. He began his training as a painter with Alfred Dehodencq, then entered the Académie Julian in Paris in 1871, in the workshops of Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger and he ended his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At the beginning of his career, he practiced history painting and symbolist art. Recognized as a painter and appreciated by good society, Rochegrosse was appointed the Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1892. Then, he turned to Orientalism by discovering Algeria in 1894, where he met Marie Leblon, whom he married in 1896. She was the love of her life, his wife, his muse and his model. He settled with his wife in El Biar, on the outskirts of Algiers, in 1900. He made the trip to Paris each summer, where he was a member of the jury of the Société des Artistes Français. In 1910, Rochegrosse commissioned a workshop, Dar es Saouar, where he received his students. The same year, he was promoted to officer of the Legion of Honor. He was admired by his contemporaries, in particular his stepfather Théodore de Banville or Conan Doyle. He was deeply affected by the First World War and the death of his wife in 1920 following an illness contracted at the hospital in Algiers, where she was a nurse. Inconsolable, he goes so far as to add Marie's M to his signature.

Revitalize your interiors — introduce drawings and watercolor paintings to your home to evoke emotions, stir conversation and show off your personality and elevated taste.

Drawing is often considered one of the world’s oldest art forms, with historians pointing to cave art as evidence. In fact, a cave in South Africa, home to Stone Age–era artists, houses artwork that is believed to be around 73,000 years old. It has indeed been argued that cave walls were the canvases for early watercolorists as well as for landscape painters in general, who endeavor to depict and elevate natural scenery through their works of art.

The supplies and methods used by artists and illustrators to create drawings and paintings have evolved over the years, and so too have the intentions. Artists can use their drawing and painting talents to observe and capture a moment, to explore or communicate ideas and convey or evoke emotion. No matter if an artist is working in charcoal or in watercolor and has chosen to portray the marvels of the pure human form, to create realistic depictions of animals in their natural habitats or perhaps to forge a new path that references the long history of abstract visual art, adding a drawing or watercolor painting to your living room or dining room that speaks to you will in turn speak to your guests and conjure stimulating energy in your space.

When you introduce a new piece of art into a common area of your home — a figurative painting by Italian watercolorist Mino Maccari or a colorful still life, such as a detailed botanical work by Deborah Eddy — you’re bringing in textures that can add visual weight to your interior design. You’ll also be creating a much-needed focal point that can instantly guide an eye toward a designated space, particularly in a room that sees a lot of foot traffic.

When you’re shopping for new visual art, whether it’s for your apartment or weekend house, remember to choose something that resonates. It doesn’t always need to make you happy, but you should at least enjoy its energy. On 1stDibs, browse a wide-ranging collection of drawings and watercolor paintings and find out how to arrange wall art when you’re ready to hang your new works.