7. JEAN METZINGER (1883-1956) Portrait of Louise Luquet signed 'Metzinger' (lower centre) oil on canvas Painted in 1942 73 x 55 cm. 28 3/4 x 21 5/8 in. Provenance Louise Luquet Collection, France. Private collection (by descent). Bibliography A. Mittelmann, Jean Metzinger Catalogue Raisonné online, no. AM-42-002. Jean Metzinger is best known as a theoretician and practitioner of Cubism, but his work is not limited to fragmented, geometric compositions. He also produced more realistic or at least 'calmer' portraits, in which the human figure remains legible and structured in a more traditional way. In this portrait, Metzinger retains his sense of construction: the space is carefully organised, and the volumes are still thought out in a more architectural way. But he reduced the Cubist fragmentation in favour of a more direct reading of the face and expression. The model becomes more immediately recognisable, in this case Louise Luquet, a friend of the family. The emphasis is on psychological and physical presence rather than on the deconstruction of form. It reveals the strength of character and liveliness of spirit expressed by her intense blue eyes, which we can easily imagine in this woman who gravitated to the circle of Suzanne and Jean Metzinger. These works show an important evolution in her approach. After the most radical phase of Cubism, he sought a better balance between modernity and legibility. The result is a hybrid painting: still modern in its structure, but closer to the classical portrait in its intention. The composition, still cubist, is accentuated by acid colours that give the subject all the strength and presence of Louise Luquet.