3/1/13: Lady In Red
Woman in Red,
Chaim Soutine
Often seen
as a forerunner to Abstract Expressionism, Soutine’s style of Expressionism
comes to life in this piece as we see immensely rhythmic and descriptive
brushstrokes. The painting depicts a
woman draped across a chair in a long red dress. The deep red captures most of the painting,
not only in the lady’s dress, but also on her hands, face, and necklace as well
as the background. The only thing in
the painting that stands out as not being red is the black hat she is wearing. At first, the lines drawn seem to contort and
distort the woman to a degree that initially seems unflattering, but when
examined closer shows that that using these strokes has given the character
much more depth. Not only do they give
the stationary character mobility and suggest movement, but also help reflect
other subtle qualities, like her hands, which are seen as gnarled and possibly
arthritic. Also, looking at the
curvature of her smile with respect to the eyes, the viewer can see that she is
given a depth of character that might not be expressed with a normally drawn
face. She is comical, slightly insane,
and altogether brilliant. Such a portrait might seem to be drawn in
haste with little details fleshed out, but this work was that of careful
examination and precision to the utmost.
Theories of the enigma Soutine:
Comments about Soutine in relation to modern art:
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