Femme by Henri Laurens (After)

Provenance:
Private Collection, Toronto

Born in 1885 in Paris, Henri Laurens developed as a sculptor by first producing works reflecting the influence of Auguste Rodin before turning to Cubism in 1911 after meeting Georges Braque. He participated in the Salon des Indépendants in 1913, where he would later meet Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso. By 1938 he was showing alongside Braque and Picasso in a travelling exhibition from Oslo to Stockholm and ending in Copenhagen. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1948 and 1950, before a major retrospective of his work took place the following year at the Musée National d’Art Moderne de Paris.

In this minimalist tapestry in neutral tones, the body of a female figure is shown reclining across the textured surface. While the curved lines of her form have been accentuated, the placement of her limbs—her head leaning to the left, her right arm almost embracing the shape of her head and her legs twisting at different angles—seem to animate the otherwise motionless figure. She does not appear static, but dynamic as the artist invites the viewer’s eye to trace the sweeping outline of her prone form.

In this minimalist tapestry in neutral tones, the body of a female figure is shown reclining across the textured surface. While the curved lines of her form have been accentuated, the placement of her limbs—her head leaning to the left, her right arm almost embracing the shape of her head and her legs twisting at different angles—seem to animate the otherwise motionless figure. She does not appear static, but dynamic as the artist invites the viewer’s eye to trace the sweeping outline of her prone form.