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Lot Essay
In the preface to the catalogue that accompanied Van Dongen's 1908 exhibition at Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Marius-Ary Leblond described the artist's method, 'he breaks down the harmonies of the rosy skin, in which he discovers acid greens, blood orange reds, phosphorous yellows, vinous lilac, electric blues: instead of juxtaposing these shades in narrow strokes he spreads them out in isolation' (quoted in exh. cat. Kees van Dongen, Rotterdam, 1989, p. 153).
Van Dongen's portrait of Kaia Metis, an emigré from the Dutch East Indies, is as simple in its composition as it is complex in its execution. The artist has reduced the sitter to her essence, depicting nothing save the slight angle of her head as she stares intently at the viewer, set against a striking background of deep red. Extraneous detail is neglected, leaving nothing to identify the sitter except the artist's inscription on the reverse of the canvas; 'Kaia Metis Indes Neerlandaise'. By removing any suggestion of her identity, she becomes a representation of universal womanhood. The complexity of Van Dongen's painterly technique creates a powerful image with a constantly surprising interplay of line and colour. Even the plain background, echoed in the liquid red of Kaia's lips, is itself painted with a fluidity that is at once subtle yet vigourous. The result is an intense image that is heightened by the uncompromising frontal pose of the figure and her strong gaze.
Van Dongen's portrait of Kaia Metis, an emigré from the Dutch East Indies, is as simple in its composition as it is complex in its execution. The artist has reduced the sitter to her essence, depicting nothing save the slight angle of her head as she stares intently at the viewer, set against a striking background of deep red. Extraneous detail is neglected, leaving nothing to identify the sitter except the artist's inscription on the reverse of the canvas; 'Kaia Metis Indes Neerlandaise'. By removing any suggestion of her identity, she becomes a representation of universal womanhood. The complexity of Van Dongen's painterly technique creates a powerful image with a constantly surprising interplay of line and colour. Even the plain background, echoed in the liquid red of Kaia's lips, is itself painted with a fluidity that is at once subtle yet vigourous. The result is an intense image that is heightened by the uncompromising frontal pose of the figure and her strong gaze.