La Belle Époque
In Europe, just before World War I, strange atmosphere everywhere. Reason seemed to be able to overwhelm everything, worth of civilization was overflowing, and its center was Paris, France. Elder people who had undergone the Napoleonic Wars in their childhood had no choice but were tempered by optimism as they watched their grandchildren using flush toilet and going leisure by train every weekend. There, art was in its heyday. At that time, artists of the 19th century began to gather in Montmartre(Northern Paris) where was a cheap place to live. And then there was 'Le Bateau-Lavoir'.
'Le Bateau-Lavoir' is the name of an old building at 13 Ravignan in Montmartre, Paris. It was named by the poet Max Jacob. Although its exterior was shabby, it had become a place of history as many artists had lived in La Belle Époque. 'Le Bateau-Lavoir' means laundry on ships floating on the Seine River in 19th century Paris. The first artist who had lived was Maxim Louis Maufra, a member of the Pont-Aven, Kees van Dongen (1877-1968) followed, And it became a new artistic center by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). His monumental work, 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon', was also depicted here.
It was the place where Marie Laurencin met Guillaume Apolliner, a famous poet with 'Le Pont Mirabeau'
Marie Laurencin
The most important thing when talking about Marie Laurencin, a French painter, is the influence of Cubism, represented by Pablo icasso. She was known as a member of Cubism since she had been strongly influenced by Cubism in her early works. However, her works were slightly out of the typical tendency of Cubism which emphasized the geometric straight line. Instead, she used 'soft colors' and 'curves' and we can find her propensity in her later works.
Despite of her unique talent, Marie Laurencin had difficulty establishing reputation as an artist. She was often remembered only as a lover of Guillaume Apolliner, and her original style, which was influenced by both Cubism and Fauvism, also ignored by other artists. In particular, a famous sculptor François-Auguste-René Rodin made her tease as a "girl of the fauvism."
Marie Laurencin, 'Réunion à la campagne', 1909, oil on canvas, 130 x 19, Musée Picasso, Paris
As an Illustrator and a Writer
After 1920, she began to pioneer her own style, moved away from the Cubism which had had a profound impact on her early works. Her works of this period were represented by women who have a a somewhat dreamy atmosphere, pastel color and curvilinear forms those are common in her later works for people. She also painted a portrait of the famous French designer Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (As known as 'Coco Chanel').
Her activities in 1920's were not limited paintings. She also worked on some illustrations of Luis Carroll's fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland", wrote some poetry and designed costumes and stage for ballet performances. This means that she had been interacting with a considerable number of artists and literati even after her seperation from Guillaume Apollinaire. It was around that time that she had met with Coco Chanel.
| 1921, Oil on canvas, 150 x 95, Musee de I'Orangerie | 1923, Oil on canvas, 92 x 73, Musee de I'Orangerie |
Chanel and Marie had an lot in common. They were economically self-reliant people as women in '1900s', and both women had a considerable reputation in artists' society. Chanel was abandoned by her father at the age of 12, and she spent her childhood moving through an orphanage and a monastery. Marie was born as an illegitimate child and raised by single mother. It is ironic, however, that what they each represent in modern society is totally different.
A Forgotten Artist
Plus qu'ennuyée
triste
Plus que triste
Malheureuse
Plus que malheureuse
Souffrante
Plus que souffrante
Abandonnée
Plus qu'abandonnée
Seule au monde
Plus que seule au monde
Exilée
Plus qu'exilée
Morte
Plus que morte
Oubliée. (Forgotten) - Le Calmant
Both Chanel and Laurence were successful women, and they had overcome the limitations and discrimination toward women at the time, but Chanel was able to promote her name to the world as a fashion designer, while Laurence could not stand in the center of the arts until she died. Since she was influenced by both the Cubism and the Beast who were battling the art world at the time, she had created a unique style by herself but failed to change the hegemony of the art world.
Because of those differences, Chanel has represented a 'modern female' until 21st century, but few people know Marie Laurencin. Only four of her works are exhibited at the Musee de I'Orangerie in Paris, and many of her works flow into the hands of individual collectors and are sold on the Internet. It is a sad thing to think about her life when she was a Renaissance-person of the 19th century who interacted with many artists and literati.
In this way, Marie Laurencin's life tells us how about absence of women's rights can make women painful during their life and after their death. This is the reason why dreamy faces in her paintings approached to me so sadly.