A Corner of the Artist's Room, Rue Terre Neuve, Meudon

1915/1919

Gwen John

Associated Names
Gwen John

Artist, British, 1876 - 1939

The image depicts a room with an angled ceiling, a partial window, and an adjacent wall taking up most of the space. The color palette consists of muted tones including beige, brown, and hints of soft yellow and white. The window is situated in the top left corner with sheer curtains hanging down and a small yellowish object placed on the windowsill. The wall with simple line details dominates the right side of the image, casting shadows and illustrating the room's corner.

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Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

In this black and white photograph, a woman wearing a black dress leans toward an arched mirror set into a wall, so we see the woman twice in this double portrait. We are situated slightly below her so we look up at the woman, who gazes down and to our right. The surface of the wall is smooth but lightly textured, like adobe. Trees reflected in the mirror indicate that this is outdoors. The woman in front of us takes up the left half of the composition. She faces our right in profile and leans to our right, at the far edge of the mirror. Her dark hair is pulled up in ribbon entwined braids. She wears long, chandelier style earrings and her high-necked black dress has puffed, lace sleeves. We see her face straight on in the mirror’s reflection. The woman’s distinctive brows knit together over her rounded nose.

Article:  15 LGBTQ+ Artists to Know

Discover the lives of 15 LGBTQ+ artists and their art, much of which you can see at the National Gallery.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of the artist until 1982 (number E. J. 905); (Anthony d'Offay, London): private collection (1982 - 1988); (Davis & Langdale Company, Inc., New York); Mr. and Mrs. Sanford I. Feld, Far Hills, New Jersey; partial gift to NGA, 2005.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • Gwen John, Anthony d'Offay, London, 1982, no. 49.

1985

  • Gwen John: an Interior Life, Barbican Art Gallery, London; Manchester City Art Gallery; Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, 1985 - 1986, no. 90.

2008

  • Medieval to Modern: Recent Acquisitions of Drawings, Prints, and Illustrated Books, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2008, no. 109.

Markings

lower right: artist's signature stamp

Wikidata ID

Q64572825

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