With a certificate of authenticity from the Wildenstein-Plattner Institute and it will be included in the digital catalogue raisonné of the Wildenstein-Plattner Institute.
Kees van Dongen became famous almost instantly at the beginning of the 20th century when he exhibited with what later became known as the “Fauves”. He was considered the wildest of the painters of this group of French Expressionists, which also included Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck. In particular, his irritatingly colorful and erotic portraits of women attracted attention. The dark, high-contrast eyes, which focus on the viewer with their lascivious “smokey eyes,” particularly caught the attention of contemporary viewers.
The present portrait of a woman also is lushly dramatic portrait that is quintessential for this period of Fauvist work by Van Dongen. But here, his characteristic stylistic device is reversed: the lady, depicted in intense red, orange and white tones, does not look at the viewer with her blank eyes, but still has an impressive presence thanks to the intensive painting style. If the sightless eyes in painting and sculpture from Modigliani to Wesselmann are otherwise primarily a means of de-individualization, this cannot apply here because the person portrayed is identifiable.
The sitter has been variously identified as a gypsy, an unknown woman, and as Marcelle Braque (future wife of Georges Braque), the latter by Jeanine Warnod in her monograph about the studios of the Bateau-Lavoir, where Van Dongen lived and worked (1905-1907) during this ground-breaking period of modern art.
This said, the portrait most likely schows Marcelle Braque, the wife of the painter Georges Braque, who was introduced to him by none other than Pablo Picasso.
Marcelle and Georges Braque had a close and loyal partnership for over fifty years, which was admired and particularly highlighted by those around them. Marcelle in particular was seen as the epitome of loyalty, and it is possible that van Dongen emphasized this virtue with the sightless rather than seductive eyes that are not directed defiantly at the viewer, and the iridescent, halo-like glow around the lady's head.
The painting's large scale and richly painted surface are especially commanding in person. Van Dongen's palette of whites, greens and vibrant red-oranges is a result of the illumination of the electric lights of the dance halls and sites of evening leisure in Montmartre, yet here used - radically - for portraiture in the studio. Van Dongen appears to be the first artist to employ electric light for his portraits. This new type of illumination gives a glow, a special aura around the figure, and is so specific to this period of art. Hopmans recalled that the artist would steal electricity from the Moulin de La Galette - conveniently next door to his studio - for his large overhead lamp when the dancers came to the studio for modeling.
“When you've been painted by a famous painter, there is only one option left: to try to resemble your portrait.”
- Kees van Dongen
