Japanese Dolls with Apples, 1915

About the Work

As in a mosaic, the angular rows of coloured surfaces are joined together to form a whole. The artist Eugenie Bandell learned this painting technique from the painter Wilhelm Trübner in Frankfurt in about 1900. However, she abandoned his natural colours and expanded her palette to include delicate pastel shades. Thus the shimmering effect of the coloured mosaic is supported by a light overall impression. The relatively classical motif of the still life is linked to Japonism, the cult of the Far East, which inspired the late nineteenth century through the portrayal of Japanese dolls.