Acclaimed French film shows painter’s remarkable path to success
Equal parts Susan Boyle Cinderella and Mary Katherine Gallagher self-taught painter Séraphine Louis makes for a surprisingly spellbinding subject. Transformed from a downtrodden housecleaner to famed “naïve” thanks to the patronage of a taste-making art collector (Wilhelm Uhde also her employer) Louis’s vivid colours and compositions were only overshadowed by her erratic behaviour. Now thanks to this fantastic film and the moving lead performance of Belgian actress Yolande Moreau the rough-and-tumble talent gets another chance to shine.
Séraphine sets the scene in 1914 with the streets filled with cobblestones and Archie-style jalopies and the First World War on the eve of destruction. As such Uhde (Ulrich Tukur) the fey and fancily dressed German is an exceptionally unwanted visitor in Senlis only lasting several months before being driven from town. It’s in this short time however that the wealthy collector falls head over heels for his housecleaner’s small but unquestionably unique creations. Their interactions start out and remain awkward yet Uhde’s support — both mentally and financially — is enough to plant the seeds in Séraphine’s mind that she has found the right path.
Fast-forward 23 years into the future: The war is now over and Uhde has returned. His early exhibitions of Pablo Picasso George Braque and Henri Rousseau have made him a powerful force in the art world though the patron is far more passionate towards the movement he describes as “modern primitivism.” Summarizing his character’s motivations in one of the film’s most memorable lines Uhde explains “I don’t collect to sell I sell to collect.” Still obsessed with Louis but convinced that she is dead he is overjoyed to discover that both she and her artistic muse are alive and flourishing. Uhde sets Louis up for fame and fortune but in the end both tragically take their toll.
Séraphine has already taken home seven Césars (the French Oscars) including Best Film and Best Actress and if there’s any justice in the world the Academy will follow similar suit. Though the film’s final third is far from the typical Hollywood wrap-up its overarching story should still inspire almost anyone to let his or her freak flag fly. Studying Louis’s life and work in a textbook is one thing but to see her story brought to life with such stunning cinematography and stirring performances dusts off the cobwebs irons out the frump and allows the artist to achieve her full fabulous glory.
