At first glance, the exhibition at Galerie Buchholz recalls the era of the Rococo; where the women were adorned in elaborate headwear, sitting about in leisurely fashion, a sense of youth is shown and the artists use pastel colors to create their work. But as I continue to walk through the exhibition, I noticed that the women that are present in her body of work don’t have identities; they are intentionally given a homogeneous look. In the Rococo era, the women in the paintings were depicted with dramatic facial expressions and had a sense of personality which is not present in Marie Laurencin’s work. The gallery consisted of paintings, watercolors, and prints that depicted women in costume-like clothing; some figures were only draped in a cloth while other figures were a bit modest and were fully clothed. In the center of the exhibition, a glass case showcases Laurencin’s book illustrations and her drawings which were not as tightly rendered as the figures on the wall; they felt more gestural. Laurencin’s compositions of her book illustrations and drawings didn’t feel closed off from the viewers because there was more room for interpretation.
The figures' undifferentiated likeness further removes the viewer from the work; nothing draws the viewer in. These anonymous women can be anyone and everyone, they are not limited to a certain category.
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