Séraphine

After a long day sawing up firewood my tired muscles were only too pleased to sink into a comfy rocking chair and sit still for an hour or so. And the chance of watching French film Séraphine was too good to pass up. Séraphine Louis was born in rural Picardie in the late nineteenth century and made a living as a cleaner for most of her life. Any sous she did not spend on rent or food she used to buy tins of white paint, which she then mixed with wax, pounded herbs and other easily foraged ingredients to produce glowing, glossy colours. She painted with a religious zeal and produced paintings that were noticed by German art dealer Wilhelm Uhde who was immediately enthused by their bold, forthright nature. Sadly for Séraphine the turmoil in France during World War One meant that Uhde had to return to Germany and her hopes for a Paris exhibition were dashed. Later Uhde returned to Chantilly and happened to see some of  Séraphine's work in a town hall exhibition in Senlis. He was able to patronise her work once more until the effects of the Depression prevented him from finding buyers for her work and he was no longer able to support her.

Séraphine herself is played by Belgian comedienne Yolande Moreau. Her passive, patient features rarely betray any emotion, and she steadfastly works in menial positions while others who think of themselves as her superiors are shown to be uncultured and shallow by comparison. The film is beautifully shot and the landscapes of the Oise are all soft greens and wooded hills, not unlike the uplands of southern England. Life in France in the latter years of the Troisième République manages to appear both grimy and dingy, whilst also presenting an optimism and innocence.

Séraphine herself died in an asylum in 1942, forgotten even by her erstwhile champion, Uhde, but her works have outlived her by many years and can now be seen in the Musée Mailliol (Paris), the Musée d'art naïf (Nice) and the Musée d'Art moderne (Lille).