AN APPRECIATION: Suzanne ValadonSuzanne Valadon was at the center of Impressionism. She worked with some of the greatest Impressionists and their circle. However, she was not an Impressionist. Rather, she was a model who served as a muse for some of the world's greatest art. All the time, however, she was absorbing from these artists ideas and techniques that she later used in her own unique art.
Career Born Marie-clémentine Valadon in 1865, Valadon was the daughter of a laundress. Her mother and father never married and Valadon never knew who were father was. As a result, she was something of an outcast from the beginning. Although she was born in Bessines, France, Valadon grew up in Paris. Inasmuch as they had very little money, her mother moved the family consisting of Marie and her half-sister to the Bohemian Monmartre quarter when Marie was five. Marie attended a convent school for a time but most of her education came from the streets, which she would wander when her mother was working. She was known as independent, stubborn, rebellious and fun-loving. Marie showed a talent for drawing from an early age. She would draw on scrap of paper or on the pavement using pieces of coal. By the time Marie was 11, she was already working various odd jobs in order to provide some income for the family. At 15, she joined a circus as an acrobat. It was a job she loved but an injury sustained in an accident of the trapeze ended her career as a circus performer after a few months. Marie began to model for artists living in Monmartre. It was not considered a respectable occupation but since Marie was already an outcast. Marie had nothing to lose. Paris in the 1880s was at the center of an artistic revolution. The Impressionists had challenged the art establishment and after initial critical scorn were now being recognized. Indeed, Pierre-Auguste Renoir had become one of the best known artists in Paris and Marie became one of his favorite models. As a result, she appears in several of Renoir's most famous works including “Dance in Bougival,” “Dance in the City” and “the Bathers.” Valadon also modeled for Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He also persuaded her to change her first name to Suzanne. She reminded him of the Biblical story “Susnana and the Elders” because she liked to model for older artists. While the various artists that she posed for were observing her, Valadon was also observing them, studying their artistic technique. Thus, she was building a foundation for shifting from model to artist. Through Toulouse-Lautrec, Valadon met Edgar Degas. The Impressionist master liked to portray himself as a misogynistic bachelor who looked down on the lower classes. However, Degas took Valadon under his wing and instructed her in drawing, painting and etching. He even purchased some of her pictures. Valadon and Degas remained close until his death in 1917. By the 1890s, Valadon was beginning to show works in various public exhibitions and galleries in Paris. She became a full-time artist by 1896. She had her first solo exhibition in 1911. Valadon's reputation continued to grow and she was elected a member of the Salon d’Automne. In 1937, the French government purchased several of her works. Thus, by the time of her death in 1938, Valadon had gone from street urchin to a successful artist, respected by her peers, critics, and the establishment. Personal life Valadon lived an unconstrained private life. When she was 15, Valadon met Miguel Utrillo and the two had a close relationship that continued even after Miguel left Paris two years later. At 18, Valadon had a son. Although he had been gone for a long time before Valadon became pregnant, Miguel agreed to be listed as the father on the birth certificate. However, it is likely that the father was actually Renoir for whom Valadon was modelling at the time. The child was named Maurice Utrillo and he would also become a successful artist. Valadon also had a relationship with Toulouse-Lautrec. In 1892, Vladon had an intense romance with composer Erik Satie. However, at the same time she was seeing Paul Mousis, a wealthy stockbroker. She eventually married Mousis and for a time, they settled down to a bourgeois life. Around 1909, Valadon met Andre Utter, an artist friend of her son Maurice. They soon became lovers even though Utter was 23 years younger than Valadon. They moved in together into a small apartment in Monmartre along with Maurice and Valadon's mother. She married Utter in 1914 and he took on the role of managing the careers of both Valadon and Maurice. However, Utter became irritated by Maurice's erratic behavior and dissatisfied with the situation began womanizing. This led to violent clashes between Valadon and Utter. They were divorced in 1934. Valadon stopped caring about her appearance and would often look disheveled. After Maurice married one of Valadon's friends despite her objections, all she cared about was her painting. Analysis Valadon learned from some of the world's greatest artists. In her work, you can see elements derived from other artists but she did not simply copy their styles. Rather, she synthesized what she learned with her own creativity to develop something unique. Born an outsider with an independent and rebellious nature, it is not surprising that art historians have trouble classifying Valadon's work. In some ways, it is Post-Impressionist, which is not surprising given where she worked and the artists with whom she associated. In other ways, it is like German Expressionism, which again is not too surprising considering that she was working as an artist during the same period as the Expressionists. But, at the end of the day, Valadon's work is unique. Valadon addressed a variety of subjects including portraits, landscapes, stilllifes, scenes of everyday life, and nudes. While it was perfectly permissible for an artist like her mentor Degas (or Renoir) to draw female nudes, it was shocking for a woman artist to approach this subject. Her depictions of the female body were, of course, from a woman's perspective and were truthful representations. This opened the door for later women artists to explore this subject. |
Above: "Germaine Utter in Front of her Window."
Below: "Maurice Utrillo". 
Above: "The Joy of Life".
Below: "Still life with Tulips and Fruit Bowl" 
See our profiles of these other Impressionists and members of their circle.
Frederic Bazille Eugene Boudin Marie Bracquemond Gustave Caillebotte Mary Cassatt Paul Cezanne Edgar Degas Henri Fantin-Latour Paul Gauguin Eva Gonzales Armand Guillaumin Edouard Manet Claude Monet (Part I The Early Years) Claude Monet (Part II High Impressionism) Claude Monet (Part III The Giverny Years) Berthe Morisot Camille Pissarro Pierre Auguste Renoir Alfred Sisley Victor Vignon |
Artist appreciation -Suzanne Valadon