“Profile of a Woman”
I love yellow in art and when used like this, it glows.
“Profile of a Woman” is an oil on canvas painting from 1896 by the French artist, Aristide Maillol. Though Maillol is known today for his monumental sculptures depicting the nude woman form, he started off his art career as a painter before switching completely to three-dimensional works.
In this piece, Maillol depicts the face of a young woman against a mottled yellow background. She is centered towards the left facing the right side of the canvas. On the right are the edges of several branches with leaves, giving a balance to the composition of the painting. The overall feeling of the piece is decidedly modern, especially for the 1890s when it was made.
The flatness in this piece exhibits similar stylistic elements often found in the work of the Nabis painters, such as Paul Gauguin and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. Maillol was inspired and influenced by the Nabis artists, whose stylistic influence can be seen here.
“Profile of a Woman” is currently in the collections of the Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud in Perpignan, France.
For more on Aristide Maillol, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
