The artist, who lived a long life, adored women, and they answered him the same. A unique portrait painter, who was a true minion of fate, defeated fashion by reconciling avant-garde painting with a high-profile salon.
In love with women
Dutch artist Kes van Dongen was born in 1877. The young rebel and brawler moved from a small settlement to the world's largest port city. The charming young man was attracted by scenes of ordinary life, and the plot of his first canvases became the most terrible places of Rotterdam. The main characters of the draftsman's work were sailors and very colorful inhabitants of the harbor, not paying attention to the moral principles of society.
A young man in love with women, draws girls of easy virtue, whom he met in dens. In addition, he sells cartoons for the grudge of the day to local newspapers that publish samples of the pen of a young author.
Popularity and wealth
At the age of 20, Kes van Dongen moved to the capital of France, which captivates with the amazing atmosphere of the holiday. Despite the terrifying living conditions in a dilapidated and cold hut, the young man was happy. He meets many artists and poets who did not have enough money even for coal for heating. Parisian ladies take care of a young man who has the gift of falling in love with people. His work attracted the wealthy Marquise Louise Casati, introducing fashion to her favorite. Soon the portrait painter, gaining the long-awaited popularity, becomes rich.
Discoverer of a new direction
Kes van Dongen is known as a true genius with an individual style of writing. In 1905, the bourgeois, receiving expensive orders, became a member of the Autumn Salon - an association of French artists . He opens a new direction in painting - Fauvism. This name was assigned to a small group of artists whose work struck the public with novelty. The expressiveness of bright colors, passion and emotional strength caused delight among critics who compared the authors of unusual works with wild beasts (in French this phrase sounds like les fauves).
Fauvists, inspired by the paintings of Van Gogh and Gauguin, declared themselves to the whole world, but soon the union disintegrates, and the paths of its members diverge. Three years later, Kes van Dongen adjoins the new group "Bridge", believing that the viewer should be affected by contrasting colors. The last years of the artist’s life took place in Monte Carlo, where he died at the age of 91.
Expressive canvases
The genius presented to the public the canvases filled with bright colors. These are not just just female portraits, but a real emotional explosion that conveys the impulsive beginning of the fair sex. His expressive characters are estranged from the outside world, and rich contrasts convey the meaning of what is happening. Women in canvases possess external charm. The author finds a variety of poses reflecting authority, thoughtfulness or self-confidence, skillfully emphasizing the attractiveness of his heroines.
The audience’s attention was drawn to the painting “Woman with Blue Eyes”. And in fact, the mirror of the soul of a cute blonde occupies most of the canvas. The huge eyes of cornflower blue attract the eyes of men who appreciate and parted lips with a bright scarlet shade.
Commercially Successful Jobs
Researchers of the genius believe that his innovative style is a synthesis of expressionism and Fauvism. This is a luxury and almost kitsch chic that the audience liked so much. Later, the master tries himself in art deco (a new direction in the art of Western Europe and America). Women's themes are always present on the canvases of the author, however, in later works outright erotica and overly bright colors go away. A wise painter often works on large custom portraits ("Portrait of Mrs. Agnieli", "Portrait of Madame V", "Monsignor Alexander with his Dog").
His paintings are commercially successful, but researchers do not see in them the former power of the artist. They are as if stylized as pictures from glamorous magazines. And they feel the indifferent look of the master, who habitually draws the slender backs of women and luxurious jewelry.
Expression and Symbolism
The talented portrait painter Kes van Dongen himself did not connect his work with any direction in painting. He assigned a huge role to color symbolism and expressed his emotions through bright shades. So, for example, blue was responsible for the spiritual, and red meant passion. The author often improvised and paid attention to small details. The paints of a painter well versed in chiaroscuro were called "electrified" for expression and a combination of incongruous.
Hermitage treasure
Several paintings by Kes van Dongen, who left an invaluable legacy, are in the Hermitage, and each visitor can admire the soulful female images captured on the works of the author. The most interesting canvas is "Lady in a black hat." The unknown model, whose expressive face consists of bright color spots, depicts the actress of the music hall. Despite the fact that the masterpiece is filled with dark color, it does not make a gloomy impression. And black, combined with green, gives the picture elegance.
You can find the canvas in the section "European Fine Art", a collection of "French Painting of the 19th-20th Centuries."