Romaine Brooks' La France Croisée
This month marks my six-year anniversary as a Luce Foundation Center employee. Since I became the Center's program coordinator last year, I've been spending less and less time in the Center itself. While I miss regularly interacting with visitors, I think what I miss most is being able to brag about having the prettiest office in Washington. The imposing chandeliers, gorgeous faux marble columns, and priceless artworks have been replaced with sterile lighting and bare white walls, save for the bookshelves full of binders in my new office workspace. So when I am in the Center, I always try to stop by a favorite artwork for a little mental refreshment.
Earlier today, after a quick meeting, I took a quick detour by case 34a to see the Romaine Brooks paintings. I've written about Romaine Brooks' work before, but given that she's so popular among our visitors, I don't feel bad writing about her other painting currently in Luce, La France Croisée. For me, this is an especially appropriate time to revisit Brooks' paintings because I only came to know of them when I came on my first job interview for the Luce Center, despite earning an undergraduate degree in art history.
Brooks painted La France Croisée in 1914, after the start of World War I. Actress Ida Rubinstein served as a muse for the strong, female figure, who personifies France, one of the countries the expatriate artist adopted for herself. Brooks specifically made reference to the War with the burning city of Ypres, Belgium, in the background and the red emblem on her shoulder is thought to represent the bloodshed of war. La France Croisée is indicative of Brooks' paintings. She frequently used her friends as models, and the muted color palette features prominently throughout her work.
We have two of Romaine Brooks' paintings on view in the Luce Center, along with a few more over at our Renwick Gallery. American Art owns 68 works by Brooks, all of which can be found on our website, including the 55 that have images. While I may not be able to get over to the museum as often to see these and my other favorites, it's nice to be able to at least visit them digitally. I encourage you to do the same!
