Marcel Gromaire

This work is listed in Marcel Gromiare's 'carnets' as no. 323 (DCD).

Dunbar Collection, New York

François Gromaire & Françoise Chibret-Plaussu, Marcel Gromaire, La vie et l'oeuvre. Catalogue raisonné des peintures, Paris, 1993, no. 325, illustrated p. 137.

The canvas in unlined. The picture surface is in generally good condition. Under UV, the work appears to have been selectively cleaned and re-varnished with a green flourescing varnish. There are some small areas of inpainting in the upper right corner and along the right edge. Some of the darks in the background have been strengthened, especially in the upper right and lower left quadrants.
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This portrait was executed during the most productive period in Gromaire's career, which stretched from 1920 to 1931. During this time the artist's output was prolific and ranged from commissioned portraits, such as the present work, to studio-based nude studies and ambitious canvases depicting scenes of modern life.  The key works from this period are La Guerre and Les Bords de la Marne (both 1925; Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Girardin Bequest). Though they depict different subjects (La Guerre was based on the artist's experiences in service during World War I, while Les Bords de la Marne shows canoeists at rest beneath a bridge), both are characterized by heavy, chunky figuration and a limited palette. This style was formed by combining the pneumatic cubism of Leger with a scrutiny of classical art, a prevalent force during the 1920s. Powerful, grave and graphic, it was a style which ably served the artist for all themes he adopted throughout his career. It is a style which is exemplified in the painting offered here.