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Tamara De Lempicka's Strategic Conservatism

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TAMARA DE LEMPICKA’S STRATEGIC CONSERVATISM By Elizabeth Von Buhr Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts In Art History Chair: Juliet Bellow, Ph.D. Joanne Allen, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences May 1, 2020 Date 2020 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 © COPYRIGHT by Elizabeth Von Buhr 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TAMARA DE LEMPICKA’S STRATEGIC CONSERVATISM BY Elizabeth Von Buhr ABSTRACT Tamara de Lempicka’s seemingly pious and traditionalist period of the late 1920s and 1930s, exemplified by paintings such as La Polonaise (1933) and The Communicant (1928), appears to be a sharp departure from the Polish émigré’s celebrated erotic nudes of the early 1920s. This thesis contextualizes this stylistic and thematic shift in de Lempicka’s oeuvre within the increasingly fraught, nationalistic, and politically conservative climate of interwar Paris. I argue that de Lempicka adapted her approach to painting to overcome the increased challenges this environment posed to foreign women artists. Her strategy, which relied upon visual ambiguity and a manipulation of conservative taste, secured her financial and professional artistic success. I situate de Lempicka’s transition to traditional subjects and a classical revivalist style as part of a larger cultural trend by discussing her work in relation to her artistic milieu and to the “return to order,” a widespread artistic catalyst of the period. By analyzing the similarities between de Lempicka’s works and those of her contemporaries, including her teacher Maurice Denis and an organization of women artists known as the FAM (Femmes Artistes Modernes), I consider the influences behind de Lempicka’s strategic conservatism. I discuss de Lempicka’s adaptation of the classicizing elements and conservative connotations of the “return to order.” Her inventive use of a “return to order” style allowed her to blur the lines between religious and erotic ecstasy in her work, thereby extending her commitment to transgressive subjects and themes while simultaneously appealing to conservative tastes. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the amazing support of my family, professors, and friends. My parents have been extremely supportive of my academic pursuits from the very beginning. I would like to thank them for making graduate school attainable, for their endless encouragement, and for their incredible patience throughout this process. They have always believed in me and for that I will be forever grateful. I would also like to thank my boyfriend, who offered invaluable moral support and assistance as my sounding board on numerous occasions. I also acknowledge my friends and extended family, whose constant enthusiasm for my work and support of my achievements has given me great joy and motivation. Of course, I must also recognize Dr. Juliet Bellow, my advisor, who encouraged me to research de Lempicka in my first semester of graduate school. That early research provided the foundation for this thesis and helped shape my professional goals as an art historian. Throughout this process, she has consistently pushed me to refine my ideas, and I am a better writer for it. Dr. Joanne Allen and Dr. Andrea Pearson also provided much needed fresh perspectives, as well as further insight into the Italian Renaissance and Baroque works I put in conversation with de Lempicka’s paintings. My professors’ expertise, advice, and commitment to supporting me in this endeavor made this thesis what it is. Thank you! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .......................................................................................................... v INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC CONSERVATISM .................. 9 Maurice Denis: Precedent and Influence .............................................................. 13 De Lempicka’s Appropriation of Conservative Strategies ................................... 21 The FAM and the “Polish Invasion” ..................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 2 SUBVERTING THE “RETURN TO ORDER” ........................................ 36 The “Return to Order” .......................................................................................... 37 The Ambiguous Politics of Ecstasy ...................................................................... 44 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 55 ILLUSTRATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 58 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 61 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: Tamara de Lempicka, La Belle Rafaela , 1927. Oil on canvas. ..................................... 58 Figure 2: Tamara de Lempicka, Portrait de la Duchess de la Salle , 1925. Oil on canvas. .......... 58 Figure 3: Tamara de Lempicka, La Polonaise (Version 2), 1933. Oil on wood. ......................... 58 Figure 4: Tamara de Lempicka, The Communicant , 1928. Oil on canvas.................................... 58 Figure 5: Tamara de Lempicka, Mother Superior , 1935. Oil on wood. ....................................... 58 Figure 6: Tamara de Lempicka, Maternity , 1922. Oil on canvas. ................................................ 58 Figure 7: Maurice Denis, Maternity with Lace Cuff , 1895. Oil on canvas. .................................. 58 Figure 8: Maurice Denis, Mother in a Black Blouse , 1895. Oil on canvas. ................................. 58 Figure 9: Tamara de Lempicka, Maternity , 1928. Oil on canvas. ................................................ 58 Figure 10: Maurice Denis and Andre Gide, Le Voyage D’Urien (cover, woodcut), 1893. Text illustrated with lithographs. .............................................................................................. 58 Figure 11: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge: La Goulue , 1891. Color lithograph. ...... 58 Figure 12: Maurice Denis, The Muses , 1893. Oil on canvas. ....................................................... 58 Figure 13: Fra Angelico, The Annunciation , c. 1438-47. Fresco, (Convent of San Marco, Florence). .......................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 14: Maurice Denis, The Communicants , first panel of Frauenliebe und Leben (Women’s Love and Life), 7- panel bedroom frieze, 1895. Distemper on canvas mounted on wood. Photograph taken 1898. .................................................................................................... 58 Figure 15: Paul Gauguin, Vision After the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel) , 1888. Oil on canvas. ............................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 16: Maurice Denis, The Breton Dance , 1891. Oil on canvas. ........................................... 58 Figure 17: Maurice Denis, Screen with Doves , four-panel screen, 1896. ..................................... 58 Figure 18: Maurice Denis, Vault decorations for the Sacred Heart Chapel , Church of Sainte- Marguerite, Le Vésinet, 1903. Photo from before fire damage to the decorations in 2009. ........................................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 19: Jacopo da Pontormo, Portrait of Maria Salviati de' Medici and Giulia de' Medici , c.1539. Oil on canvas. ....................................................................................................... 58 Figure 20: Tamara de Lempicka, Breton Girl , 1934. Oil on canvas. ........................................... 58 v Figure 21: Tamara de Lempicka, Woman with Dove , 1931. Oil on canvas. ................................ 59 Figure 22: Mela Muter, Mother and Child with Haloes , 1916. Oil on canvas. ............................ 59 Figure 23: Marie Blanchard, Maternity , 1925. Oil on canvas. ..................................................... 59 Figure 24: Tamara de Lempicka, At the Window , 1932. Oil on canvas. ...................................... 59 Figure 25: Zofia Stryjenska, Boy at the Window , from the series Youthful Polish Villages, 1930. ........................................................................................................................................... 59 Figure 26: Moise Kisling, Woman in a Polish Shawl , 1928. Oil on canvas. ................................ 59 Figure 27: Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People , 1830. Oil on canvas. ........................ 59 Figure 28: Glykon von Athen, Farnese Hercules , 216 AD. Marble. ........................................... 59 Figure 29: Pablo Picasso, Three Women at the Spring , 1921. Oil on canvas. .............................. 59 Figure 30: Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman , 1921. Pastel on paper. .........................................
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