Lot 476: María Blanchard , 1881-1932 MATERNITÉ oil on canvas

Painted in 1924. signed M Blanchard (lower left) oil on canvas

65.3 by 50.4cm., 25 3/4 by 19 7/8 in.

Jean Grimar, Brussels
Gaudy Collection, Brussels

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Liliane Caffin Madaule.
In the early 1920s Maria Blanchard's style changed radically. Close to Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, and already famous for her poetic Cubist compositions, she decided to move away from Cubism to a more expressive and figurative style. As shown in the present work she developed a very personal palette with vivid contrasts between austere dark, metallic colours and splashes of brilliant light. Drawing her inspiration from the people and children she met in the street, she never used a model and painted her strong and powerful compositions from memory.