
Collection Online as of January 25, 2021
(French, 1870-1943)
Oil on canvas
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 2002.92
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
223 20th Century Avant-Garde
This portrait of Denis's sister-in-law combines several modernist techniques: pointillism, in which tones are divided into small dots of pure color; Japonism, derived from the flat compositions of Japanese prints; and cloisonnism, the Symbolist method of surrounding forms with pronounced, decorative outlines. To convey the sitter's talent as a musician, Denis rendered her with fine, sinuous hands. The portrait was painted over an abandoned picture, parts of which remain visible around the edges.