Portrait of Suzy Solidor 1933

Curator: This is Tamara de Lempicka’s “Portrait of Suzy Solidor,” painted in 1933. It's a striking example of Art Deco portraiture. Editor: Angular and cool, wouldn’t you say? The pale flesh tones feel almost sculpted. And those nails– such deliberate, lacquered points. Curator: Precisely! The formal composition, from the geometries of the background to the hard, enameled surfaces, pushes towards machine-age idealism. Note the strategic placement of the hand – the geometry and tone echo that of the skyline. Editor: Speaking of that slick surface... Oil paint allowed Lempicka a certain plasticity. It must have been fascinating to model the curves and planes of the body into such precise forms with a medium that’s so inherently fluid. It seems she built up many layers on the canvas, and the finished painting looks polished to an incredible luster. Curator: Yes, there’s a sense of removing the gestural evidence of the hand from the surface. Consider too, the subject. Suzy Solidor was a famous cabaret singer, a modern woman. Lempicka transforms her into an object of desire, yet imbues her with self-possession. It seems to reflect the shift in female representation that we saw between the wars, toward both commodification and liberation. Editor: To me, that cropped head – how the hat’s edge bisects her brow – hints at Solidor’s craft. She’s consciously *performing*, presenting herself, manufacturing the image. One wonders if Lempicka, in her own way, also used such performance tactics, even in the construction of this very painting. Curator: I appreciate how you’ve contextualized the subject and her active participation. By looking at her as a persona—something meticulously crafted—rather than a passive sitter, it complicates our reading of Lempicka’s art. Editor: And now that I notice these minute elements in the overall structure, I see more complexity in Lempicka’s methodology. Curator: Indeed. This has given me more to consider regarding Lempicka’s construction of not only the visual field but the material composition too.