Even though Ben Solowey spent the summer in Paris in 1924, he retained his work ethic. When he was not painting plein air around the city, he took croquis classes at the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs (now known as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs) at 107 rue de Rivoli in the Marsan wing of the Louvre.
Croquis meant sketching from a live model. Croquis are drawings made in a few minutes, after which the model changes pose or leaves and another croquis is drawn. It benefits artists because it helps them concentrate on the essential elements of the pose, or the most important parts of the drawing. An artist does not have time to draw all the details, so the idea is that they will learn to concentrate on the important elements.
This style of drawing would be beneficial to Ben five years later in 1929 when he started to draw his Theatre Portraits. In that work, he often had avery limited time to capture the likeness of a performer, often during a break in rehearsals or after a performance. His drawing classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and his croquis classes in Paris help to train him for his theatre work, which he may not even imagined when he was a student.
These cards are also among the first to display his iconic signature. He signed his early works crudely, often in red paint. Upon his return from Europe, his paintings and drawings reveal the classic signature that would almost become a logo for him.
