Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/georges-rouault-1876" aria-label="More by Georges Rouault" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Georges Rouault</a>
Italian Woman
Purchased 1949
adults
body
clothing and personal items
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
hat
head / face
necklace
objects
people
sadness
woman
<p>Little is known about the subject of this work, but the painting is similar in style and composition to a number of frontal views of the heads of male and female clowns painted by the artist in 1937 and 1938. Rouault rarely painted portraits, preferring instead to use the human figure as a symbol of certain moral qualities or, more generally, to express the sufferings of mankind. The woman in this painting wears modern dress, but the treatment of her head distantly recalls traditional religious pictures, particularly Byzantine icons.</p><p><em>Gallery label, August 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
The Italian Woman
support: 651 × 498 mm
frame: 1086 × 960 × 56 mm
Purchased 1949
<p>Little is known about the subject of this work, but the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a> is similar in style and <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/composition" title="Glossary definition for 'Composition'"><span>composition</span></a> to a number of frontal views of the heads of male and female clowns painted by the artist in 1937 and 1938. Rouault rarely painted <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/portrait" title="Glossary definition for 'Portrait'"><span>portraits</span></a>, preferring instead to use the human figure as a symbol of certain moral qualities or, more generally, to express the sufferings of mankind. The woman in this painting wears modern dress, but the treatment of her head distantly recalls traditional religious pictures, particularly Byzantine icons.</p>
Display caption
2004-08-31T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<strong>Georges Rouault</strong> 1871-1958
<p>
<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rouault-the-italian-woman-n05906" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N05906</span></a> <strong>L'Italienne</strong> (Italian Woman) 1938<br/>
Inscribed 'G Rouault.' b.r.<br/>
Oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 19 5/8 (65 x 50)<br/>
Purchased from the Galerie Bing (Knapping Fund) 1949<br/>
<em>Prov:</em> With Ambroise Vollard, Paris (purchased from the artist); with Galerie Bing, Paris<br/>
<em>Repr:</em> <em>Arts</em>, 10-16 July 1952, p.1; <em>Studio</em>, CXLVII, 1954, p.6
</p><p>
<strong>Published in:</strong><br/>
Ronald Alley, <em>Catalogue of the Tate Gallery's Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists</em>, Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981, p.666, reproduced p.666


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Catalogue entry
2000-04-13T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
adults body clothing and personal items emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas hat head / face necklace objects people sadness woman