Vittorio Mateo Corcos (1859 - 1933) Italy. Watercolor on Paper. Measure 12 1/2"in H x 9 1/2"in W and 25"in H x 20"in W with frame. Born in Leghorn, Italy on 4 October 1859, in the 1870's Corcos studied at the "Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze" under Enrico Pollastrini. Between 1878 and 1879 he was in Naples at Domenico Morelli's studio whose work, rich in literary associations and formal ideas made a great impression on him. A work that illustrates Morelli's influence, Arabo in preghiera (The Praying Arab), dates from this period. In 1880 Corcos moved to Paris where he signed a two-week contract with the Goupil Art Gallery. From time to time he went to the studio of Leon Bonnat, portrait painter to the Parisian upper middle class and he successfully became part of elite art circles. For his own paintings he chose fashionable themes: female portraits, scenes of modern life, sophisticated interiors painted in vibrant colours and fluid brushstrokes, works in the style of Boldini and De Nittis. Between 1881 and 1886, the year when he returned to Italy, he frequently exhibited at the Salon.