The Blue Room

Yesterday we were talking about Suzanne's portrait drawn by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Today we want to present one of her own works: The Blue Room. Although she was well aware of current avant-garde artistic trends from her social circles at Montmartre, Valadon didn’t commit to any particular style or movement but chose an independent path based on several different styles. She painted still lifes, portraits, flowers, and landscapes (noted for their strong composition and bright vibrant colors) while her most famous subjects are her female nudes. Suzanne painted her women as members of the working-class recognizable to Victorians by their unidealized bodies, heavy features, relaxed postures, and ease displaying their nudity. Many critics interpreted this lack of idealization in Valadon’s women as ugliness and lack of charm and accused Valadon of hating women. These critics also stereotyped her based on her own working class background as well as her “un-feminine” bravado and feistiness.