Romaine Brooks

The above artwork is a self portrait by Romaine Brooks (detail), 1923.

(Click on the images if you wish to view them individually.)

I have a been a student of art for many years.  So, it is rare when I encounter a significant artist from the 20th century with whom I am not already familiar.

On my vacation with family a couple weeks ago, I stopped at every used book store along the way.  I love book stores, especially small used book stores (it’s fun for me to attempt to infer the discernment of the owners by their inventory of books).  I’m always looking for a literary or artistic diamond in the rough, any underrecognized art or artist.  At one of the used books stores, I discovered an amazing book about Natalie Barney and Romaine Brooks, ineffectively titled “Wild Girls” (I hope to write an extensive review on that excellent book in the next few weeks).  The book introduced me to the artworks of Romaine Brooks.

Romaine Brooks on Wikipedia

Romaine Brooks when she was young.

Romaine Brooks’ biography and life are fascinating.  According to the biographer Diana Souhami, Brooks married a homosexual man, a marriage whose cohabitation lasted less than 2 years, but a marriage that lasted until her husband’s death 16 years later. 

As a child, Brooks’ was cruelly mistreated by an unaffectionate mother who spent much of her time praising her mentally-unstable and violent son.  To learn more about Brooks, I highly recommend reading Diana Souhami’s “Wild Girls” (the worst thing about the book is its title).

Romaine Brooks.

“Romaine Brooks” self-portrait, 1912.

Romaine Brooks “Au bord de la mer”, “At The Seaside”, self-portrait (detail), 1914.

Romaine Brooks.

Brooks’ paintings are timeless.  I feel I have known some of these women.  The portraits portray an artist’s perspective and aesthetics that were likely foreign and unappreciated in early 20th century culture.  It is a glaring omission that Romaine Brooks’ art does not more prominently and frequently appear in books reviewing the major artists of the 20th century.

“Femme Avec Des Fleurs” or “Spring”, 1912.

“Una, Lady Troubridge”, 1924.

“Le Trajet”, “The Crossing”, Ida Rubinstein ca. 1900-1911.

Brooks consistently drew idealized and “thinned” versions of her subjects.  Most of her self-portraits show herself thinner than pictures suggest she was at those times.  She lived in an era before anorexia and bulimia were commonly known eating disorders.  And she lived in an era, the beginning of the 20th Century, when “thin” was becoming a popular aesthetic for women. 

During Brooks’ younger years, psychologists, social standards, counselors, and doctors predominantly considered homosexuality to be a mental defect or disorder.  Brooks, an American, chose to live most of her life in France, where her lifestyle was less persecuted and where she could live in a social community of individuals who were not exclusively heterosexual.

“Peter, A Young English Girl”, 1923-24.

“Chasseresse”, 1920.

“Caught”, 1930.

“Jean Cocteau”, 1912.

“La Marquise Casati”, 1920.

“Portrait of Muriel Draper”, 1936.

‘White Azaleas” (detail), 1910.

‘White Azaleas”, 1910.

I love all of Romaine Brooks’ paintings.  They have a graphic precision and pathos that rivals anything that has come after her.  I love the empathy in the two pictures below.

“The Charwoman” 1904.  “Charwoman” is a term for an English cleaning lady.

“La Jaquette Rouge”, 1910. 

I love the above painting because it is of an “in between” moment.  The “model” or “woman” may simply be standing near a dressing screen, waiting a moment before getting dressed or before moving to undress to hold a traditional “classic” pose.  Brooks may have perceived this moment to be as beautiful and memorable as anything that was more commonly posed.

“La France Croisee” “The Cross of France” Ida Rubinstein, 1914.

“Elisabeth de Gramont, Duchesse de Clermont-Tonnerre”, 1912.

“Natalie Barney”, 1920.

Interestingly, many of Romaine Brooks’ artworks are part of the collection of the Smithsonion American Art Museum, yet most of their collection of her artworks are currently not on display.  For a list of their Brooks’ holdings, visit here:

Smithsonians’ collection of Romaine Brooks’ artworks

A recent book on Romaine Brooks:  Amazons In The Drawing Room  

I have an inability to express all the strong & positive feelings & ideas each of Romaine Brooks’ paintings evoke in me.  And that alone seems for me to be a characteristic of a masterpiece. 

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