Kees van Dongen became famous almost instantly at the beginning of the 20th century when he exhibited with what later became known as the “Fauves”.
In the present portrait, this stylistic device is reversed: the lady, depicted in intense red, orange and white tones, does not look at the viewer with her blank eyes, but still has an impressive presence thanks to the intensive painting style. If the sightless eyes in painting and sculpture from Modigliani to Wesselmann are otherwise primarily a means of de-individualization, this cannot apply here because the person portrayed is identifiable. She is Marcelle Braque, the wife of the painter Georges Braque, who was introduced to him by none other than Pablo Picasso. Marcelle and Georges Braque had a close and loyal partnership for over fifty years, which was admired and particularly highlighted by those around them. Marcelle in particular was seen as the epitome of loyalty, and it is possible that van Dongen emphasized this virtue with the sightless rather than seductive eyes that are not directed defiantly at the viewer, and the iridescent, halo-like glow around the lady's head.
