“Profile of a Woman”
“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 female form, he actually 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, the edges of several branches with leaves can be seen, giving an overall balance to the layout of the painting. The overall feeling of the piece is decidedly modern, especially for the 1890s when it was painted.
The flatness seen in this piece exhibits similar stylistic elements often found in tapestries, which Maillol initially abandoned painting for. Maillol’s paintings were inspired and influenced by the Nabis painters, such as Paul Gauguin and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, whose stylistic influence can be seen here.
“Profile of a Woman” is currently on display at 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.
