Woman Sewing at a Window 

A solitary young woman dressed in a black gown sits before a window, quietly engaged in the act of sewing. In the rattan armchair opposite her, a cat sleeps. This painting might first appear quiet, yet it hides a sense of radical opposition. Gwen John’s oil painting Woman Sewing at a Window is a peaceful representation of a domestic interior. Born to an artistic family in 1876, the Welsh artist Gwen John is known for her introspective paintings, often depicting lone women. John studied the portraits of the Old Masters at the Slade School of Art in the late 1890s, before continuing her career in Paris. The Slade was then the only British art school which admitted women, though female students were taught separately. In Woman Sewing at a Window, John has built thickness through repeatedly adding layers of oil paint. Her small and choppy brushstrokes provide a mosaic-like texture. The colour palette is muted yet warm, evoking thoughtful tranquillity. During her lifetime, John’s painting was often overlooked in favour of the work of her artist brother, Augustus John (1878-1961). The exact date of this painting is unknown, indicating the lack of value that was previously attributed to her works. More recently, however, Gwen John’s small canvases have been celebrated for their minimalist treatment of women’s everyday life. Her works foreground the female identity, providing a radical alternative to traditional portraits of objectified muses. Owing to her documented relationships with both men and women, John is now celebrated as a queer icon and her contribution to feminist art history is recognised. 158 paintings and thousands of sketches are now attributed to the artist. Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham