Unclean Soutine
Chaim Soutine was a french expressionist painter born in Russia in 1893. He emigrated to Paris in 1913 and would spend most of his life. In Paris, he met the likes of Modigliani, Chagall, and Lipchitz. His work can be characterized through his use of agitated brushstrokes, impasto, and psychological themes.
Landscapes were the beginning of Soutine’s style. In The Red Castle of Ceret you can see his use of feverish brushstrokes to give more of the feeling of oppression rather than representing it as he saw. I feel that this was his goal.
Young English Girl is one of, in my opinion, Soutine’s more light hearted work. The dejected expression, to me, says “uhhh okay.” This is a feeling I can heavily relate to.
The still life painting, Carcass of Beef, made me realize that the artists I gravitate to also represent cow carcasses. Rembrandt and Francis Bacon have also used cattle cadavers studies in their work.
The Mad Woman is a great example of Soutine’s use distorted and twisted features of his subjects in conjunction with his use of color. We see a hunched over woman in an overbearing red with an almost bashful body language. This image is unsettling to me and that’s why I enjoy it.
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Maternity is the best example of a link I could draw from Soutine to a more ancient artist, Goya!
The eyes in particular remind me of Goya’s eyes as they are almost simple black dots with a small reflection. The composition reminds me of Saturn Devouring his Son. This one could be named Saturn Nurturing her Son.
Chaim Soutine, to me, is almost a bridge between the traditional to the modern. I can see his influences from painters like Goya, and similar subject matter with Francis Bacon.
Honorable Mentions
Otto Dix
Franz Marc
Alfred Kubin
