The fight.

Drawing, pen and Indian ink, grey and black wash, 23,2 x 16 cm, laid paper, signed in pencil at lower left "Charles Doudelet" (sm. def. with tear at upper centre).

The Belgian symbolist artist Charles Doudelet (Lille 1861 - Ghent 1938) probably made this dynamic drawing in the same period when he conceived "Le Détrônement" in 1906 (Paris, Musée d'Orsay), which borrows from the same composition and vibrant swirl. The drawing may have been an early study for the painting. Doudelet is regarded as one of the most important symbolist artists of his generation, influenced by Moreau and Redon.