André Planson Large Painting: Portrait Of A Woman In The Studio; The Nude Model Art Deco, Fauvism

André Planson, The Model in the Studio, Paris, 1942

A beautiful oil on canvas signed “and. Planson” and dated 42, depicting a young woman standing in the intimate setting of the painter’s studio in Paris in 1942. The model is captured in a moment of anticipation, leaning slightly forward, her gaze lowered, one hand resting on her hip and the other modestly holding a colorful shawl in front of her. This suspended pose lends the scene a rare sense of presence: the painter does not merely depict a pose, but the fragile moment that may precede instructions—the silence of the studio, the model’s concentration before resuming her work.

The work is striking for its Fauvist-inspired character, still very much alive in the palette and the freedom of the brushstrokes. Planson contrasts the model’s light, rosy body with a deep, vibrant, almost theatrical blue background, in which the cast shadow itself becomes an element of the composition. The flesh is not modeled in an academic manner, but built up with bold, thick brushstrokes in shades of pink, off-white, green, and blue, giving the body a highly expressive pictorial presence.

The shawl, rendered in yellows, carmines, greens, and violets, becomes a self-contained piece of painting, almost abstract in places. The paint is applied generously, at times impasto, with a direct, visible brushwork that ties the work to the French post-Fauvist tradition. The black mantilla, the flowers on the headdress, the blue background, and the model’s shadow combine to create a composition of great chromatic intensity.

The composition is intimate and tightly framed. The figure occupies almost the entire vertical space of the canvas, yet without any cold monumentality: on the contrary, everything rests on a sense of closeness, on the calm of the studio, and on this impression of an inner pause. The model, standing but with her hips slightly turned, forms a supple diagonal line from her hip to her tilted face. Her downcast gaze, turned head, the hand holding the shawl, and the other resting on her hip create a subtle balance between modesty, anticipation, and presence. The scene seems captured in the moment, depicting the precise instant when the model, still motionless, awaits the painter’s instructions. This sense of anticipation lends the painting a psychological dimension

French School, Paris, 1942.
Modern period, Fauvist and Post-Fauvist style.

Original oil on canvas.

Dimensions

Canvas: 81 x 54 cm.
Total dimensions with frame: 91 x 74 cm.