tipsonradiance:Tamara de Lempicka’s Autoportrait (1929) x Marlene Dietrich as elusive a
tipsonradiance: Tamara de Lempicka’s Autoportrait (1929) x Marlene Dietrich as elusive and glamorous jewel thief Madeleine de Beaupre in Desire (Frank Borzage, 1936). In 1929, after having the painting published as the cover of Die Dame, a German fashion magazine; [Tamara de Lempicka’s] self-portrait became known as the “hymn of the modern woman” for it would inspire the imagery of an emancipated woman. At first glance, the glacial stare of Tamara de Lempicka immediately becomes the center of attention in Autoportrait. As the rest of her body moves forward with speed and flowing electricity, she takes a moment to look the viewers in the eye to convey her emancipation from the ordinary household women status. She displays classic 1920s femme fatale features such as bold red lips, sharp facial features and well-groomed eyebrows. In this portrait she not only reflected how she sees herself but how society sees the modern woman in mass media. She paints herself as the precedent of commercialism in a fashionable way with an artificial format, propping her body on the green Bugatti as though she is a mannequin. A term to be familiar with when it comes to Tamara de Lempicka’s work is the word garçonné, the French interpreted word for “bachelor girl”. In further definition, garçonné is a term for the modern working-class woman in this time period, and defines a new category for women both in social and literary context. It is important to notice that Tamara’s architecture of the female figure is delicate but strong. In Autoportrait, as well as Tamara’s other paintings, women are polished with beauty but have the strength to hold themselves up alone, a concept highly favored by the femme fatale movement. In Tamara’s self portrait, she is deconstructing the traditional sense of women and reconstructing the body of woman with power, mobility, and dominance of a male presence. The Green Bugatti acts as though it is a temple surrounding Tamara’s disposition in the painting. The car’s inclusion in the work further entangles Tamara in the world of rising industrialism. In addition, Tamara’s waterfall-like scarf blends into the motion of the car, a detail that many critics say connects Tamara with the commercialism of her generation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoportrait_(Tamara_in_a_Green_Bugatti) -- source link
#women artists#old hollywood#marlene dietrich#glamour