The dream (Rafael on a green background)

Picture Of Tamara Lempicka "Dream (Rafael on a green background)" in 2011, sold at auction "Sotheby's" for of 8.48 million dollars. It was not only the most expensive among the other paintings by Lempicka, but brought the Creator of the ten most expensive artists of our time.

Street finds

About the identity of the model who posed for this work, tells Ciset – daughter Tamara, who wrote a candid and sometimes provocative biography of his extravagant mother.

During one of morning walks in Paris Lempicka met the young lady, literally felled her with its beauty: "Never seen a woman more beautiful: huge black eyes, gorgeous body. I stopped her and asked: "Miss, I'm an artist and would like you to pose for me. Would you accept it?"

Rafaela (that was the name of a stranger) for a long time did not resist and immediately followed Lempicka to her car. Together, the two women were fruitful: a total of four known paintings with a portrait of street beauty. These include picture "Red tunic"and two canvas called "Beautiful Rafaela"(they are a little differin detail).

It was not the only case, when the artist took the models from the street. According to one legend, an artist's model for the painting "Adam and eve"was a young COP Lempicka literally dragged into the Studio. Nude Eva was already in the Studio, and to let "Adam" relax, Tamara, too, threw off her dress.

"I painted the kings and the prostitutes, those who are my inspiration and lead to the fact that I can feel vibrations", – boasted the artist. Vibration, floating in the air after the First world war, she felt fine, and its cause, sensual paintings are perfectly harmonized with the ambience of a Parisian decadence.

Blinded him from what was

The artist in the most amazing ways to get along eccentric, unaware of the social conventions of nature and cold calculation. She sure knew how to overreact to the crunch, but don't let it break. Lempicka referred to the words of his close friend Jean Cocteau: "Genius in art is to know how far you can go too far".

A genius in the art of painting she may not have been, but a marketer – well, just outstanding. The artist quickly realized that to succeed (and in vivo, and preferably well converted into a cash equivalent) are required to develop their own unique style. And he must be sufficiently innovative to become a fashion portretista, but not too avant-garde, so as not to scare the General public.

"My paintings you recognize among hundreds of others. My goal was not to copy. Create a new style, (...) bright and pure colors, a return to elegance in my models"- as described it looking. She was close smooth and serpentine lines Mannerist, chiseled form of the Greek statues, and as a symbol of modernity Lempicka liked cubism – but in its softened version.

But the Impressionists, it is not favored and criticized for his predilection for "dirty flowers". In defiance of them, she used the purest possible colors (and technique at times easier, I must say). My own daughter described the creative flair Lempicka as "killer instinct". He helped her to always keep their finger on the pulse, linking the eclectic ingredients in an elegant, refined cocktail.

Jean Cocteau characterized the invented Tamara formula: "Art and high society she loves in equal measure. What you see in her work? The Light Of Caravaggioforms Fernand Legerand lipstick Chanel". Others named Lempicka "salon Kubista". That, however, did not prevent her to make a quick career and wringing fabulous at the time fees are 50 thousand francs for the portrait.

Author: Natalia Azarenka