Roger de La Fresnaye (1885-1925) - L'Italienne, de Trois Quarts

Ink drawing of a nude young woman, standing, turned three-quarter. The model is shown in a natural pose, with her torso slightly twisted, her left leg and arm bent, and her left foot partially raised. Although executed with great economy of means, and with part of the head deliberately truncated, the precision of the drawing is reflected in the treatment of the shadows, rendered by strongly marked diagonal hatching.
Signed: "R de la Fresnaye" lower right.
Dated: 1911.

Dimensions:
At sight: Height: 12 ¼ in. Width: 9 in.
Frame: Height: 19 ¾ in. Width: 16 ¾ in.

Certificate: A certificate from Michel Giraud, CNE Expert, will be issued to the buyer

Remarks:

The Italian woman posing for this drawing is Marie Valente, who was also André Derain's model in the same period. This drawing should be seen in relation to two major works by La Fresnaye: the bronze L'Italienne (1911-12), one of eight sculptures made by the artist during his lifetime, and the famous painting L'Italienne de trois quarts (1910-11). While the former allows us to examine the relationship between sculpted figures and painted compositions in La Fresnaye's work, the painting, produced in conjunction with L'Italienne de face and L'Italienne de profil à droite, marks a fundamental stage in the artist's career. As one critic rightly remarked, these works are "totally different in spirit and execution from anything that preceded them. (...) They are very close to the Negro art elements of early Cubism, Picasso and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. They reveal the growing influence of Cubism on La Fresnaye". Only a year later, in 1912, Roger de La Fresnaye exhibited alongside the Cubists at the Indépendants, the Salon d'Automne and the Section d'Or.