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Painted circa 1925-30.

Signed van Dongen (upper right); signed van Dongen, inscribed 5, rue Juliette Lamber Paris XVII and titled on the reverse

Oil on canvas

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Switzerland
EXHIBITED

Venice, XVII Exposition internationale des Beaux-Arts, 1930
Martigny, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Kees van Dongen, 2002, no. 85
LITERATURE AND REFERENCES

Van Dongen, le peintre 1877-1968, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
CATALOGUE NOTE

A stunning example of Van Dongen's art of the 1920s, which became known as the "années folles", Venise no. II, Le Manteau de cygne depicts an unidentified sitter, whose striking pose, clothes and jewelry, give her an air of vibrancy and boldness characteristic of Van Dongen's most accomplished portraits. Although fully clothed, the alluring model is depicted in a seductive pose, her beauty accentuated by her stylish hair, her bright red lips, gold-colored shoes and scarf and her prominent necklace, bracelets and earrings. The figure's identity, however, remains obscure, as Van Dongen's primary interest lay in the feminine allure of her figure. The blue and purple highlights of the woman's skin demonstrate the artist's disregard for anatomy and naturalistic representation, in favor of depicting the physicality and sensual presence of his sitter. The style of the woman's dress and hair, very much reflecting the fashion of the time, place it unmistakably within Van Dongen's art of the 1920s, a period during which he was mostly preoccupied with portraiture.

Known as the principal portraitist among the Fauve artists, Van Dongen executed paintings inspired by his visits to the cabarets and cafés where dancers performed in exotic costumes. In 1917, the artist began a relationship with Léa Jacob, also known as Jasmy (see fig. 2), who helped launch his career in Parisian fashion circles. In 1922 the couple moved to a new residence at 5 rue Juliette Lamber (see fig. 3), the address referred to on the reverse of the present work. Here Van Dongen held exhibitions and Jasmy hosted extravagant parties attended by influential members of society. Writing about this period of Van Dongen's career, Denys Sutton commented: "During the 1920s, Van Dongen became one of the most talked of figures in the French art world and it is only necessary to run through the volume of press cuttings belonging to [his daughter] to be aware of the fact that his name was news. He was a frequent visitor to Deauville, where the smart world gathered, and to the cabarets and restaurants of Paris. What appealed to him about the années folles were their movement and gaiety. He once said: 'I passionately love the life of my time so animated, so feverish! Ah! Life is even more beautiful than painting'" (Denys Sutton in Cornelius Theodorus Marie Van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), Tucson, 1971, p. 46).

Adopting a pose that is at the same time elegant and relaxed, the woman depicted in the present painting epitomizes feminine grace and allure. Although frontally seated, which would suggest that she was posing for the artist, the woman is seen with her eyes half closed, absorbed in her own world of dreamy abandon, which is accentuated by her scarf that has nonchalantly fallen on the floor. This apparent lack of awareness that she is being watched makes her even more attractive as, rather than self-consciously confronting the viewer, she lets him freely observe her figure. While her elongated arms and legs are fully exposed, her dress, rendered in brushstrokes of subtle purple, blue and yellow tones, blends with the tone of her skin, thus playing with the viewer's perception of the nude and clothed parts of her body. The swan feathers painted in bright blue not only provide a soft, sensual touch to her skin, but also allude to the mythological theme of Leda and the swan, often treated by artist throughout the centuries as a symbol of erotic union (see fig. 3). By juxtaposing the image of an elegant lady from high society with these erotic suggestions, Van Dongen here created an image of exoticism and mystery.

Fig. 1, Van Dongen's studio at 5, rue Juliette Lamber, Paris

Fig. 2, Kees van Dongen, Jasmy Jacob, 1919-25, oil on canvas, Musée national d'Art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

Fig. 3, Théodore Géricault, Léda et le cygne, Musée du Louvre, Paris