Suzanne Valadon--Extraordinary Painter & Mentor

Suzanne

While working on a painting last week, I repeatedly sketched a face. Not my face and that of no one I know with strong, large features. Then I saw her! On Pinterest, I came across a self-portrait by Suzanne Valadon.

Suzanne was born in France on Sept. 23, 1865 and died in Paris on April 7, 1938. I remember seeing her work during my art school days. She's often remembered for her artist son, Maurice Utrillo. She was a wonderful painter in her own right and started out as an artist's model, who sat for Morisot, Renoir, Modigliani, Toulouse-Lautrec and others. Below is a detail of a Renoir painting for which Suzanne modeled:

By watching the artists and with the encouragement from Degas, she began making pencil and pastel drawings. Later, she specialized in portraits of women and children and female nudes considered shocking in their authenticity. Suzanne was the first woman admitted to the prestigious Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts or National Society of Fine Arts. Below is a portrait of Suzanne by Amedeo Modigliani:

Naturally, I wanted to know why I kept drawing Suzanne's face, so I asked her during one of my meditations. She responded with a lengthy discourse on painting. Here are some highlights:

"Do not paint like me. Paint with my love of the subject."

"Warm colors are like a warm caress. Cool colors are like a cool breeze. The paint and the process is like making love...one touch leads to another. If you try to rush and complete the act too quickly, in one stroke, it is lacking in joy and usually lacks love's expression."

"Go slower. Build layers as if one caress leads to the next."

"I only painted what I loved. I didn't care about bridges and ponds. If I didn't love a subject, I didn't paint it. Paint was just a way to express love and experience love, because painting was an act of making love."

I asked Suzanne what I could do for her. She said: "Think of me. Love my work. Speak of me that I may continue to spread love." I am keeping my word with this blog post. I hope she is pleased.

Thank you Suzanne. You are a beautiful reminder that all the great artists, thinkers, saints who went before us are here to guide and support us when we tune our ear to their message.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.