Le Hammam, Hommage à Edouard DEBAT-PONSAN - Limited Edition of 25 Print

‘Le Hammam, Hommage à Edouard DEBAT-PONSAN’, Aluminium Dye Sublimation, 71 X 120 cm (28 X 48 inches), 2021. ‘Le Massage, Scène de Hammam’ is probably the most acclaimed work of Edouard DEBAT-PONSAN who painted it in 1883, inspired by a trip he had just made to Istanbul. Today this painting is part of the Museum of the Augustins’ collection in Toulouse. When I first came across this painting, sometime in the mid 1990’s in an exhibition in the USA, I was completely taken with the composition’s details precision, as well as with the contrast between the rough and muscular body of the half-dressed black masseuse, and that of the stark naked white bather with soft, milky skin, stretched out in a languid position. However, I was engulfed by one strong feeling. Something was missing to complement the authenticity of the scene – hot water and steam. These couple of elements are inherent parts of any Hammam which, being a steam bath, cannot be accurately portrayed without them. I then knew that one day I will pay homage to DEBAT-PONSAN and to his beautiful piece of art, homage that incorporates the additions of hot water and steam.