Chaim Soutine: L'Chaim!

 A Toast to Life: The Artist's Life

Photo & Self-Portrait with Beard, 1917

Today, 9th August, is the anniversary of the untimely death of Belarus (Lithuanian) Artist Chaim Soutine (1893-1943). I knew nothing about him, or his work, so this was all a revelation to me. The 10th child of a poor tailor, he emigrated to Paris in 1911, living in the artist district of Montparnasse. Here he met Modigliani, who painted several portraits of him, including one on the door of their landlord's property. 

The Meat of Painting

(L) Carcass of Beef, 1924

A typical obsessive artist; his most (in)famous series of paintings based on a beef carcass - over a period of days causing more and more alarm. The stench alone was bad enough, but when a trail of blood was seen to leak from his room, neighbours were convinced he'd been murdered!

Portraits

Below: (L) Polish Woman, 1922

(R) Woman in Red, 1923

    

A stroke of luck in 1923 - when a wealthy American Art collector bought 60 of his paints on the spot! And yet, again, like many a typical artist he doubted his own work, and destroyed several paintings. In time, his life, was in fact, at risk; his birth name, Chaim ('Life' in Hebrew) - a dead give-away of his Jewish heritage. He was taken, at one time, by long-suffering, but supportive benefactor, Zborovski, to Nice to escape possible German invasion of Paris.

(L) portrait Modigliani of Soutine, on Zborovski's door.

Below: Soutine & Zborovski, south of France

How the Land Lies

Landscape at Cagnes, La Gaude, 1923

Cagnes Landscape with Tree 1925-6

In Hiding

Once Paris was taken over, Soutine was forced to take cover wherever he could; going from place to place, taking temporary refuge, even hiding out in the forest, when necessary.

Just as I noticed he died relatively young, at 50, I discovered he had come out of a safe place to seek medical attention for a bleeding ulcer, but wasn't able to be saved. The ulcer perforated. His non-Jewish girlfriend had him buried in a Christian Cemetery to avoid arousing suspicion. A sad end to a man who lived for his art - as curious as it appears - as though painted on board a ship in a storm; some reflection of the tumultuous times he lived through, perhaps, but utterly idiosyncratic, and immediately identifiable as his signature style.

Soutine's gravestone at Cimitiere du Montparnasse,

A sad ending, but I am happy to have made his acquaintance, albeit brief; I shall look to discover more about him in future. Meanwhile, enjoy!