Dimensions: support: 337 x 254 mm frame: 433 x 352 x 60 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Gwen John’s "The Convalescent," whereabouts unknown. It's an intimate portrait, quite muted in color. It makes me wonder, what kind of quiet story do you think John is trying to tell here? Curator: Oh, it's a hushed moment, isn't it? Like a secret whispered on canvas. The gentle brushstrokes and muted palette… it's as if John is capturing a fragile state. Perhaps she is painting something of herself? Editor: Herself? In what way? Curator: John was known for her solitary nature and introspective art. The vulnerability of the figure, the stillness... it's all very evocative of a soul seeking solace. Don't you think? Editor: I see what you mean! That quiet introspection definitely comes through. It's something I hadn't quite picked up on before. Curator: It's like glimpsing a fleeting moment of quiet self-reflection, isn't it? And art is all about finding those moments and making them last.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/john-the-convalescent-n04861
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As a woman in a career still largely dominated by men - including her successful brother Augustus – Gwen John had to struggle for recognition. Her contemplative studies of lone women in the calm surroundings of their home suggest intimacy and peace but also a simultaneous sadness. There is no narrative content, although this picture’s title, The Convalescent, suggests a way in which we might read the painting. Like much of Gwen John’s work, it relies rather on mood, atmosphere and closely toned harmonies of colour for emotional impact. Nothing is known about the model, although she appears in about fifty of Gwen John’s later paintings. Gallery label, May 2007
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