Solitaire by Gerda Wegener

This painting of great modern audacity, realized with exceptional talent by the artist Gerda Wegener, is intriguingly entitled “Solitaire”. The work illustrates the freedom and bohemian spirit of women during the Roaring Twenties at the height of the Art Deco era. This exceptional piece highlights the assertive style of the painter, who portrays her female models with a sovereignty and independence that were unprecedented at the time.

A young brown-haired woman with a boyish haircut is sitting at a dark wooden card table. She wears a fluid pink low-cut dress revealing white lace lingerie under the bottom of her skirt, which is pulled up over her bare thighs. Her slender legs are shod in elegant patterned silver-grey pumps. With her left hand, she holds a playing card representing the queen of hearts, while smoking a cigarette from her lips painted in bright crimson red. On the green table lie a folded newspaper, scattered playing cards, a liqueur bottle, and a glass of wine. In the background stands a large rustic wooden cabinet.

The vigorous technique and mastery of oil painting are revealed in the drapery of the dress and the reflections on the wooden furniture. The artist excels at restoring the skin’s sensuality and the realism of everyday objects, bringing a striking psychological intensity and realism to this modern genre scene.