émilie Charmy (1877 - 1974), Portrait Of A Young Woman

In 1898, Émilie Charmy left Saint-Étienne and settled in Lyon with her brother Jean and trained with the painter Jacques Martin (1844-1919). She exhibited for the first time in Paris at the Indépendants in 1903 and moved, in 1904, with her brother to Saint-Cloud. She practiced the genre of still life which she exhibited regularly at the Indépendants from 1903 to 1914 (except in 1910) and at the Salon d'Automne from 1905 to 1912. Charmy participated in several group exhibitions in Berthe Weill's gallery. It was during these, which brought together Matisse and Girieud, that in 1906 she met her future companion Charles Camoin. She traveled to the Mediterranean during the summer of 1906 in his company. From 1904 to 1912, Charmy produced still lifes, landscapes and figures with structured shapes. In 1912, as her relationship with Camoin deteriorated, she met Georges Bouche (1874-1941) whom she joined in Auvergne during the summer. Charmy then adopts flat areas of green and lively brushstrokes for the trees, favoring a shallow depth in his landscapes. Despite her poor critical success, Louis Vauxcelles described her as “one of the most remarkable women artists of our time” (Éclair, June 23, 1921).