What makes this painting so special, to my mind, is that there is so much warmth and familiarity in the scene. Our nude dancer seems to be in a world of her own, focussing on her movement as if in trace, but also is clearly very much at ease with being painted. She had let the painter into her universe, and us, as observers, with him. Here is a girl who is body-confident and extraordinarily modern for her time. She is the subject, not the object, dominating the picture with her quiet grace.
It is a lovely work by Jean Marchand, one of the leading artists of his generation. Marchand (1882-1941) was fauve and cubist painter, printmaker and illustrator who became closely linked to the Bloomsbury Group.
In 1910, his painting Still Life with Bananas was exhibited in the 1910 ''''Manet and Post-Impressionism'''' show organised by Roger Fry, also shown in 1912 in a second exhibition organised by Fry with Clive Bell at the Grafton Galleries in London.
Paintings by Jean March
...and are in the collections of the Courtauld, the Tate, and in numerous museums in Britain and worldwide. The National Gallery of Ireland owns five oils by Marchand. In France, works by the artist are in the Museum of Modern art of the City of Paris as well as in the Museums of Lyon, Marseille, Troyes, Grenoble, Céret, Besançon and Saint Tropez.
Dating from the 1920s, our oil on canvas measures 55 x 46 cm, and is signed at the lower right. The overall size in a ''''Montparnasse'''' frame is 70 x 60 cm.
Nous parlons français, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.
Antique ID Number (AIDN): SA1135485
Dateline of this antique is 1920
Height is 55cm (21.7inches)Width is 46cm (18.1inches)Depth is 1cm (0.4inches)
Thank you.
Your comment has been sent to Sellingantiques.