Au soleil 1910

Léon François Comerre made "Au Soleil" with oil on canvas. It's a pretty saucy painting if you ask me! I imagine Comerre outside, en plein air, squinting a bit in the sun, trying to get that luminosity of the skin just right. It's all about the surface here, isn’t it? I mean the texture on those bodies, the light, and the luscious leaves. I am curious about the relationship between the two women depicted in this painting. One is standing, draping a white cloth over her head, while the other is crouching in the bushes, peering out at the viewer with a sly grin. The standing figure seems a bit more serious, maybe even lost in thought. What are they thinking? What are they feeling? It is possible that Comerre’s intention was to capture a sense of playful delight, maybe even hint at something a little more scandalous. In some ways, this painting reminds me of Manet’s “Dejeuner sur l’Herbe,” but it's like Comerre took Manet’s idea and turned up the heat!