Café Rotonde, Paris

(Also refers to 2017.021) While Morris was based in Paris from 1920-1926, café genre scenes became a significant source of inspiration for the artist. In addition to socialising with major literary and artistic figures, Morris also took delight in observing and recording the bohemian atmosphere in two of the most popular spots in Montparnasse— Café Rotonde and Café du Dôme. Morris initially sketched pencil drawings at the cafés themselves (also refer to pencil drawings of café interiors from the same year— 'Russian Refugees in Paris I', 2017.022; 'Café Scene, Paris' I and II, 2017.026 & 2017.027; 'Lett-Haines in Paris', 2017.018; 'American in Paris', 2017.019; 'Paris Café with Hat', 2017.105). When he returned to his studio, the artist, at times, would then transform the sketches into oils, such as with 'Café Rotonde, Paris' (see 2017.021). In this pencil drawing, Morris proves that he is a skillful draughtsman, as he renders the interior of the café with a simultaneously sketchy yet finished result. Although stylistically unified in many ways, the painting, however, is filled with a variety of striking figures. In the centre of the composition is a woman with unnaturally pale skin, angular facial features and flaming red hair. She is reminiscent of Jane Avril (1868-1943), who was the dancer and iconic muse of the French nineteenth-century artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). In the lower-left foreground, another figure breaks naturalistic unity with a sickly complexion and a masklike stare.

Presented by Maggi Hambling and Robert Davey, trustees of the artist's estate, 2017