Jean-Gabriel Domergue
1889-1962 | French

Josianna, jeune femme au ruban
(Josianna, Young Woman With Ribbon)

Signed "Jean Gabriel Domergue" (lower left)
Oil on panel

A young French beauty known as Josianna is the subject of this work by Jean-Gabriel Domergue, and the oil on panel is a perfect example of the portraits for which the artist is renowned. His model embodies the concept of the la belle Parisienne: slender, swan-like women bearing an unmistakable grace and style. Domergue includes a delicate pink ribbon around her neck, suggesting a fashionable garment, set against a soft pastel-colored backdrop. The artist's oeuvre encompasses women from all facets of society, from aristocratic figures such as Liane de Pougy and Nadine, Baroness de Rothschild, to sensuous nudes, actresses and dancers who were the height of French fashion and fascination.

Born in Bordeaux in 1889, Domergue studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He was only 17 years old when he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français for the first time, winning the Prix du Rome in 1911 and a gold medal in 1920. While landscapes dominated his early oeuvre, from the 1920s he changed his focus to what would become his trademark subject, la belle Parisienne. Domergue's works captured the joie de vivre that permeated post-WWI Paris. As seen in Après-midi à Longchamp, Domergue's women exude confidence and self-awareness, culminating in a perfect blend of prowess and elegance unique to his paintings.