Toaleta Roger (zw. Guillaume-Roger), Georges Guillaume (1867 - 1943)

Toaleta

Description:
Georges Guillaume Roger (18671943) was a French painter. He studied in Paris under JeanLéon Gérôme. He regularly exhibited his works at the Paris salons. He was involved in genre painting, portraiture, but also landscapes and marines. He created in the style of fin de siècle, in his later work he was inspired by Breton and Dutch landscapes.

Description of the painting:
The painting depicts a woman at her toilette. The figure is positioned frontally, sitting on the edge of the dressing table. She is dressed in a loosely flowing white shirt that reveals her naked body. Her arms are raised up, combing her dark curls. Her face is turned towards the right upper corner of the painting. The features of her face, as well as her silhouette, are blurred. However, it is possible to see that it is a young girl with marked attributes of femininity. She rests her left leg on a chair, exposing black stockings. The background for the figure is the interior of the boudoir. Behind her back, toiletries can be seen – a jug and a bowl. The artist uses the mirror on the dressing table to introduce light reflected on its surface, thereby illuminating the foreground figure.

The painting is kept in a cold, muted color palette, of which the only warm accent is the light of the candle in the upper right corner. The palette of colors is based on shades of purple and green. A strong accent that attracts the viewer’s attention is the black stocking exposed by the woman. The work seems to be foggy, the artist does not emphasize the contours but blurs them, giving a feeling of sensuality and ephemerality of the moment.