Marie Vorobieff Marevna (1892-1984) Pointillist Portrait Of A Young Girl 1929

This portrait is absolutely charming, featuring a young blonde girl with blue eyes. The brushstrokes are pointillist, and its pastel tones are intensified by the use of complementary colors. The color forms the shadows and relief.

Although it is inherently pointillist, there is also a slightly cubist influence in the treatment of the artwork.

The watercolor is in very good condition. It is signed and dated (1929) at the bottom left.  

It is sold with a wooden frame (with a small imperfection to note). The artwork is protected under glass.

Dimensions visible: 33 x 25 cm  
Frame dimensions: 50 x 43 cm

Marie Vorobieff Marevna (1892-1984)

She was a Russian-born painter, associated with the pointillist movement, although her work was also influenced by Cubism and Fauvism. She was born as Marie Vorobieff-Stebelska in 1892 in Russia. 
Marevna grew up in Russia and, at the age of 18, moved to Moscow, where she studied at the Stroganov School of Decorative Arts and the Free Academy. It was here that she encountered influential artistic movements, discovering Italian Primitives, Impressionism, and Fauvism, which fueled her artistic development.

In the 1910s, she traveled to Rome and Capri, where she met the famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky. Gorky, inspired by a Russian tale, gave her the nickname "Marevna," meaning "little princess of the sea." This nickname became the name by which she would be known in the artistic world.
In 1912, Marevna left Russia for Paris, where she joined the famous artistic circle of La Ruche. She studied at the academies of Zuloaga, Colarossi, and the Russian Academy, where she met renowned artists such as Chana Orloff, Jacques Lipchitz, and Ossip Zadkine. She began exhibiting her works at Parisian salons, including the Salons des Tuileries and the Indépendants.

Her early works were heavily influenced by synthetic cubism, but she quickly evolved toward a more personal style, gradually adopting pointillist techniques. She was inspired by the works of her predecessors and experimented with blending colors to create shadows and relief in her portraits and landscapes.

Marevna’s work was well-received, and her paintings attracted the interest of patrons such as Léon Zamaeon and Gustave Kahn. At the same time, she became friends with many artists of Montparnasse. In 1962, she paid tribute to these artists in her painting "Hommage aux amis de Montparnasse," which is now housed in the Petit Palais Museum in Geneva.

In 1916, she met the painter Diego Rivera, with whom she had a daughter, Marika.

Marevna was an accomplished portraitist, but she also painted still lifes, landscapes, and was noted for her creation of decorative textiles. She even sold scarves and ties with Russian motifs to Paul Poiret.
During World War II, Marevna sought refuge on the French Riviera before following her daughter and son-in-law to England in 1949. From the 1960s onward, she split her time between Paris and London, where she continued to exhibit her works. She also showcased her paintings in Japan, the United States, and Israel.

Two major retrospectives were dedicated to her work: one in 1971 at the Petit Palais Museum in Geneva, and another in 1985 at the Bourdelle Museum in Paris, after her death in 1984 in London. Her work, while staying true to the spirit of pointillism, has been enriched by various influences, and she is now recognized as an important figure in early 20th-century art.

Marevna left behind a rich and varied legacy, from her portraits and still lifes to her textile works. Her career was marked by numerous encounters and artistic exchanges with the prominent figures of her time. She is now regarded as a major artist, whose work continues to inspire and fascinate art enthusiasts.

We are looking for pointillist works, so please do not hesitate to contact us.

The photos are taken in natural light.  
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