"Girl with a Cat," Gwen John, 1918-22.
John (1876-1939) was a Welsh painter who had a very individual style that defies easy categorization. There's Realism, of course, an influence of Impressionism, and maybe even some Pointillism.
Her misty, hazy portraits of mostly unidentified women are usually very simple and direct, with no elaborate poses or attempts at symbolism. Usually they simply had their hands in their laps, and their hair in simple arrangements. The girl here has an almost sad expression; one wonders what is on her mind.
John's work was overlooked for many years, in part because her younger brother Augustus John (1878-1961) was such a huge artistic force in his life, and because of her relationship with her lover/mentor Auguste Rodin. But in recent years she has undergone reassessment and is now hailed as a unique vision in the art world.
Happy Portrait Monday!
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
#Art #GwenJohn #Realism #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #WomensHistory #CatsOfMastodon
