SOMEONE I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE KNOWN
Over the years I have seen quite a few paintings by Marie Laurencin (1883-1956). Her style is very memorable - portraits, women mostly, black slanted eyes, pale skin, long filiforme deer like creatures, pastel colours. I would not have considered her work romantic but certainly compelling. Her retrospective, the first in France, started a few weeks ago at the Marmotton museum on the other side of Paris. Off I went hoping that the rain would remain behind the clouds until I got there. Marie was a natural child, adored her Mother who finally gave in and let her learn to paint on porcelaine. Marie was skilful but quite obviously wanted to be a painter. This was in 1901. She studied with Georges Braque and when she was 24 met Apollinaire and Picasso. In actual fact the story goes that Picasso told Apollinaire that he had met his future fiancé . As it is Apollinaire and Marie did have an affaire together but she left him when she was 30. Married a German Baron in 1914, which was probab