Two Cocottes with Hats 1925

Gerda Wegener made "Two Cocottes with Hats" with oil paint, using soft, blended marks and a pastel-leaning palette. The process feels light, almost breezy, as if she wasn't afraid to let the paint do its thing. What strikes me is the surface quality. It's smooth but not slick, like the skin of a peach. The colors are muted, yet the forms still manage to pop, especially the over-the-top hats. Look at the way she's rendered the ruffles on the brim of the hat on the left. It’s a flurry of whites and greys, suggesting form more than defining it. It's a smart trick, and it gives the painting a sense of movement. Wegener reminds me a bit of Marie Laurencin, another painter who wasn’t afraid to embrace the decorative and the feminine. Both artists show us that so-called “feminine” subjects and styles can be just as complex and compelling as anything else. Art is always an ongoing conversation, and there's room for all sorts of voices.