REFLECTIONS OF REALITY: CONTRADICTION AND VERACITY IN THE ART OF TAMARA DE LEMPICKA, 1921-1939

by GREEN-TURNER, SHAWNEE M

Tamara de Lempicka’s (1898 – 1980) place in the history of modern art is changeable. In chapter one I examine Lempicka’s early work (1921-1924). The paintings of this period reveal several common threads: the multiplicity of Paris and the themes of isolation and despair. In chapter two I explore the paintings from the height of Lempicka’s career (1924-1933). Her life and art of this period represent the shift from decadence to conservatism. Her depictions of women show opposing views of politics and womanhood. I analyze Lempicka’s art of the 1930s in chapter three. As World War II grew closer, Lempicka became more introspective. The subject matter of her paintings took on a religious and sentimental tone. Lempicka’s work during the interwar period follows history, society, and her experiences within it; her paintings expose and foretell the major cultural, political, and economic developments in Europe, and offer inspection into the artist’s reality.