Page Boy at Maxim’s
circa 1927
Chaïm Soutine was absolutely obsessed with this uniformed figure, hiring a real bellboy to stand stiffly for hours while he attacked the canvas with thick, frantic brushstrokes. The result is this striking, elongated figure drowning in a sea of intense red, looking more like a tragic ghost than a cheerful hotel employee. Painted around 1927 during his Expressionist peak, the series captures Soutine's own anxiety and outsider status in Paris. The poor model reportedly hated the experience, but the resulting paintings are now considered masterpieces of modern art, famous for their raw emotional power and that unforgettable, blazing red color.
- Technique
- oil on canvas
- Material
- canvas
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