The Blue Room by Suzanne Valadon

       Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938), like Chaim Soutner, was part of the group of stereotypical artists labelled collectively as "The Damned." They lived on the outskirts of society, taking odd jobs wherever they appeared. Valadon, for instance, spent her early career posing as a model for various artists. She watched them paint her, and ultimately learned to paint by simply observing the artists' brushstrokes. One of the paintings that Valadon made was titled The Blue Room.

The Blue Room, Suzanne Valadon, oil on canvas, 90 * 116 cm., 1923.

     
        The Blue Room is a self-portrait of Valadon. She is displayed inclined on a bed surrounded by blue sheets with floral patterns, with two closed books to the side. Valadon herself appears slightly overweight, lounging in what appear to be pajamas with a cigarette in her mouth. Her eyes face away from the viewer, as if lost in thought. Overall, Valadon appears quite at ease, with no sense of imminent danger. Painted in 1923, this was one of Valadon's later paintings in her life.
         Valadon preferred to paint images of the common person, particularly of their faces, as in The Abandoned Doll.

The Abandoned Doll, Suzanne Valadon, oil on canvas, 51" * 32", 1921.

       The work features a fully clothed woman drying a young girl who is completely nude, save for a pink bow to keep her hair in place. Neither of the two figures' eyes are looking at the viewer; the woman is focusing on drying the girl, and the girl is distracted by her reflection in a mirror. Valadon was a female artist already, but her challenge of artistic norms in regards to the female figure no doubt turned many viewers' heads. In traditional works, the female figure is sexualized and passive, but in Valadon's works, the female figure is non-sexualized and active, even when completely nude. Compare works like these to Titian's Venus of Urbino for an easy contrast.

Venus of Urbino, Titian, oil on canvas, 119 * 165 cm., 1538

       For an article on the rise of women artists, visit
       http://partners.nytimes.com/library/magazine/millennium/m2/cotter.html

       For a biography on Valadon's life, visit
       http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=6055

         










http://www.finearttouch.com/Titian_s_Venus_of_Urbino.html