Jules Pascin, Woman and Cupid, 1920

by Atelier Liesjes

Against a deep indigo-blue background stands a naked woman, adorned only with white stockings, red shoes and a blue bow in her curly reddish-brown hair. She holds her arms across her chest and looks at the viewer with a dreamy, almost shy expression. Her face is rendered in shades of pink and white; her eyes are small and half-closed, her lips dark red, and her shadow is barely visible on the dark ground. Hanging from her left hip is a small brown Cupid with a bow and arrow, one little leg resting on her thigh, the other foot in the air. Around the scene, Pascin painted an irregular, sky-blue border with red and green curls, like a garland of flowers and ribbons. The work is executed in watercolour and gouache on paper, with swift, almost decorative brushstrokes. Mythology serves as a pretext here: Cupid is no longer a god but an ape-like child, and the woman is no longer a goddess but a model posing patiently. This combination of innocence and eroticism is typical of Pascin, who enjoyed pushing the boundaries of propriety. The colours are vivid and cheerful: cobalt blue, vermilion, off-white and the occasional green brushstroke. Jules Pascin (Vidin 1885 – Paris 1930) was born in Bulgaria, studied in Vienna and Munich, and settled in Paris in 1905. His work from the 1920s, following his return from America, is looser and more colourful than his early drawings, with a penchant for decorative borders and theatrical compositions. This sheet from 1920 marks precisely that transition. A playful, decorative piece for a distinctive interior. His work is characterised by a blend of irony and tenderness, which is also evident here, in the bold colours and the almost childlike simplicity of the figures.