Artwork
Les chapeaux à brides (Schoolgirls Wearing Brimmed Hats)
Les chapeaux à brides (Schoolgirls Wearing Brimmed Hats) is a gouache drawing by the Impressionist artist Gwen John. It dates from 1927 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1927, Les chapeaux à brides is a gouache drawing by Welsh artist Gwendolen Mary John.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:verso in graphite: ret 38
- Markings
- Marked:lower right: artist's signature stamp
About this work
Overview
Created in 1927, Les chapeaux à brides is a gouache drawing by Welsh artist Gwendolen Mary John. The work depicts two young girls seen from behind, each wearing large, round hats with wide brims that dominate the composition. The figures are rendered in a limited palette of muted greens, browns and a touch of blue, set against a simple schoolyard backdrop featuring a fence and trees.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on anonymous schoolgirls, their faces concealed, emphasizing the hats as a visual motif rather than individual identity. By presenting the figures from the rear, John invites contemplation of childhood routine and the collective experience of school life, while the hats suggest a modest formality associated with early twentieth‑century education.
Technique & Style
John employed gouache, allowing for opaque, flat areas of color applied with quick, sketch‑like strokes. The handling is loose, giving the work a spontaneous quality despite its restrained tonal range. The limited palette of earth tones and subdued blues reinforces the subdued atmosphere, while the contrast between the dark hat bodies and their lighter edges draws attention to the headwear.
History & Provenance
Although John was active in France for much of her career, she remained less celebrated than her brother, Augustus John, and her mentor, Auguste Rodin. Les chapeaux à brides exemplifies the body of work for which she is known, intimate portrayals of women rendered in subtle, closely related hues, yet it received limited public exposure during her lifetime.
Context
The drawing belongs to a period when John concentrated on female subjects, often portraying them anonymously and with a muted color scheme. This approach aligns with broader interwar trends in European art that favored introspective, everyday scenes over grand historical narratives, reflecting a shift toward personal and domestic subject matter.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gwendolen "Gwen" Mary John (22 June 1876 – 18 September 1939) was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career.
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