Maria

Kees van Dongen

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 955

This portrait entitled Maria, presumably after the model who sat for the picture, captures the direct gaze of the sitter. The painting was quickly rendered with a large brush and intense, unblended color. Van Dongen’s use of unblended color reflects his exposure to and general association with Fauvism and Expressionism, two artistic movements in Paris characterized by bold, sometimes violent use of color. Painted with a certain stylization, Van Dongen’s female sitters often resemble one another with their large, blackened eyes and pale white flesh tones.

Maria, Kees van Dongen (Dutch, Delfshaven, The Netherlands 1877–1968 Monte Carlo), Oil on canvas

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Maria, Kees van Dongen (Dutch, Delfshaven, The Netherlands 1877–1968 Monte Carlo), Oil on canvas
Maria, Kees van Dongen (Dutch, Delfshaven, The Netherlands 1877–1968 Monte Carlo), Oil on canvas

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