Jacques Villon is not the real name of the artist. It is Gaston Duchamp (technically: Émile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp) and Suzanne is his sister, the painter Suzanne Duchamp-Crotti. They are part of the famous Duchamp family of French artists including sculptor Raymond Duchamp-Villon and, probably most famous of all, painter, sculptor, and author Marcel Duchamp. To distinguish himself from his siblings, Gaston Duchamp adopted the pseudonym of Jacques Villon as a tribute to the French medieval poet François Villon. Jacques chose to take the avant-garde path in France, focusing on figurative arts, creating people and scenes characterized by sharp lines, with almost futuristic movements, which gradually become agile characters, who are graceful and hesitant, yet pleasant. In Villon's abstract Cubist portrait with a touch of Impressionism, rendered only using dark greens and blacks, a woman seemingly in contemplation is depicted. Her hands are clenched covering her mouth and her face is partially obscured and enveloped by sharp, angular brushstrokes suggesting a hood and shadowy foliage. The painter writes over his own initials a dedication that reads "to Suzanne", likely alluding to his sister. Then he continues: "dans mon jardin, in my garden". This gives us context for how the canvas as a whole dances between the face of the young woman and the surrounding vegetation. The dark color scheme and the partially obscured face of the woman generate an atmosphere of quiet intensity. Green dominates every part of the face, while Villon's brush travels through straight lines that then fracture to create a thoughtful countenance. It is an truly striking portrait, which probably dates back to the 1910s.

"Suzanne" by Jacques Villon (French) - Oil on canvas / c. 1910s - Museo Urbano Diffuso (Mantova, Italy) #WomenInArt #art #ArtText #JacquesVillon #GastonDuchamp #Duchamp #womensart #portraitofawoman #MuseoUrbanoDiffuso #MUD #FrenchArtist #Villon #FrenchArt #artwork #ModernArt #ArtoftheDay #Cubism

Italian artist Archimede Bresciani (aka Archimede Bresciani da Gazoldo) offers a modern interpretation of the penitent Christian character of Mary Magdalene by portraying her with vulnerability, sensuality, and devotion. Her very long straight black hair is pulled forward by her hands to cover her breasts and effectively create the model of a repentant sinner, who uses her ancient instruments of seduction to get closer to a figure that does not appear here, but which Christianity would likely identify as Jesus Christ. The technique of Bresciani is marked by an almost photographic realism, tending to an expression that is the true focal point of the painter. The long, almost crooked hands seem to be consumed in a subdued and desperate prayer, while Mary Magdalene's face tilts upward, enraptured by a sudden adherence to the word of God. Thus, the portrayed young woman enters a timeless dimension that still strikes us with great effectiveness. Bresciani lived mainly in Milan, actively participating in the cultural climate and artistic circles of the city. He was a regular in exhibitions of absolute prestige, with an almost constant participation in the initiatives of the Permanente and the Venice Biennale. He participated in the Paris Expo in 1937 and, in 1939, the Rome Quadrennial. In 1940, one year after his death, the Biennale celebrated it with a dedicated “sala omaggio” exhibition.

Santa Maria Maddalena by Archimede Bresciani da Gazoldo (Italian) - Oil on canvas / 1924 - Museo Urbano Diffuso (Mantua, Italy) #womeninart #art #fineart #portraitofawoman #ArchimedeBresciani #artwork #womensart #ItalianArt #realism #beauty #oilpainting #MuseoUrbanoDiffuso #MantovaMuseoUrbanoDiffuso