The Woman in Green by Chaim Soutine ( copy by Mary Payne)

The Woman in Green ( copy) original by Chaim. Soutine, oil on canvas ,73x54 cm.

This is my copy of the "Woman in Green" done by Chaim Soutine in 1919.   It was difficult to copy and I am not satisfied with the hair and face.  It reads like an abstract painting when one tries to decode it and the elements of those types of paintings are almost impossible to copy. The most one can do is get the spirit of the work.  Still, I could have probably gotten a better likeness if I hadn't been working on rough jute which is "unforgiving".

I took a fancy to this artist's work when I visited the permanent collection of L'Orangerie in Paris.   I have copied two of Soutine's works.  This one is lighter in saturation than the photos show as it is painted on burlap like the original.   Soutine was a fascinating painter , often rendering dizzying, turbulent paintings.   Here is a good article about his life and art.  His story is unusual and fascinating .  http://www.litvakworld.com/lt/gallery/chaim-soutines-art-exhibition

The original painting of the "Woman in Green" is in a private collection and I have not seen it.  My working image was found in a book on the artist issued By Museo d'Arte Moderna in Lugano ( 1995).  Here below is a copy of the original.  In my copy I saw blue in the background so that is how I worked .  I don't see it in this copy at all.