In July 1830, France conquered and colonized Algeria. This exotic African country immediately aroused the interest of both artists and ordinary people. In 1832, Eugene Delacroix was sent there, and his attention was attracted by the most secret that you can imagine - a harem. Two years later, Delacroix will display his new painting, Algerian Women in Their Chambers, in the Salon.
Harem Delacroix
On the canvas, first of all, you can see a cozy, quiet, serene, relaxed and even sleepy atmosphere with unclear sadness. It depicts four Algerian women. Three of them are inmates, and perhaps even captives of the harem, who are bored in their confinement. In addition to them there is a black servant who is going to go somewhere, since she is not deprived of freedom of movement. Compositionally Algerian women are divided into three parts. One of them sits motionlessly to the left, then two central figures, languidly leaning towards each other, and the last, more dynamic, is a servant.
Special charm
Mysterious figure of a woman who sits separately from the other two. She is bored, dreaming melancholy. Her almond-shaped huge eyes, plunged into the shadow, look into space. One may not agree with this, but she is clearly mentally absent. In this room, only her beautiful physical body, which rests on a sofa cushion, boldly painted with new colorful tricks.
Two friends
In the serene silence of the harem, two Algerian women smoked a hookah, but they bothered them. The hand of one of them dropped limp and only slightly holds his pipe, his eyes almost closed, his head bent to his shoulder. The other, sitting with her bare legs crossed, looks with tired tenderness at the dozing girlfriend, full of sweet languor.
The attention of three women is not focused on anything. Delacroix strives to convey, among other things, his sensations of painfully malleable time, aromas, colors.
Color and light
Golden burgundy tones of this ideal color, which emphasize the richness of silk fabrics, the diversity of carpets and gold, work to create a space of magic and bliss that will delight the viewer. The basic tones are complemented by green and red. Overflow of shades - this is new that the artist began in this work, experimenting with color. The hot rays of sunlight falling from the window on the right dazzle, illuminating three motionless figures, and create deep shadows inside the room, deepening the perspective. Algerian women of Delacroix are a premonition of the appearance of impressionism and inspiration for A. Matisse, O. Renoir, M. Vrubel and P. Picasso.
One hundred twenty years later
When the rival friend of Picasso Henri Matisse passed away, then six weeks after his death the great Spaniard began to work on a cycle of variation paintings. These were elegy in honor of a friend. When they were completed, there were fifteen of them. These were the Odalisks whom Matisse loved so much. After all, Henri Matisse is considered as a follower of Delacroix both in terms of color and in terms of the choice of subjects. But mainly the eastern images of Delacroix inspired the artist to take on the theme - Algerian women. Picasso created variations from "A" to "O".
Picasso's second wife, Jacqueline Rock, looked like one of the women in the picture of Delacroix, especially in profile. But it perfectly coincides with their images and in full face. Her in the form of Odalisque loved to portray Picasso.
In December 1954, the artist began a lot of work on Algerian women. Constantly thinking about them in 1955, the maestro acquires a villa in Cannes. This cozy snow-white mansion continues and in February 1955 work on a series of variations ends.
It was at this time, as one of the British art historians notes, Picasso rises to those creative peaks that marked his previous years.
"Algerian Women" by Picasso. Version "O"
This is the final and most finished work of the entire cycle. She is fresh in her approach to perspective and plot. In this magnificent work, Pablo Picasso looked back at the 19th-century masters, whom he had been fascinated with all his life, and created a new style of painting. This painting “Algerian Women” is a brilliant synthesis of what the artist has worked on over the past years.
The compact composition, the game of cubism and perspectives were an important continuation of the work of a mature master, his masterpiece, which can be compared with Avignon Maidens (1907) and Guernica (1937), for example. But this one of the most important paintings has always remained in private hands. And to this day, she is in the private meeting of the former Prime Minister of Qatar, replacing the original owner. It was acquired at Christie's auction in New York for nearly $ 180 million in 2015.
Conclusion
One detail is curious. When it comes to the works of Pablo Picasso, all the articles in French, English, Spanish and Russian do not speak about the artistic significance of his paintings, but about the purely material value expressed in dollars. With meticulous accuracy, the number of auctions held and a gradual change, or rather, an increase in prices, are indicated. It seems that his works are needed exclusively for investing wealthy people. This, of course, cannot be said about the work of Eugene Delacroix. They are close and understandable, their compositions and themes are perfect, and they do not require confirmation that they are not cheap.