Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Copyright Undetermined
Accession Number:
B2001.2.107
Gallery Label:
This painting is one of a series of four almost identical works (one of the others is owned by the Yale University Art Gallery) based on a seemingly drab, everyday scene. Although this interior does not feature any human figures, it is haunted by human presence with a teapot, cups and saucers, and a pot of paintbrushes on the mantelpiece. Gwen John, however, seems less interested in constructing a narrative as she is in assembling a tight, subtly colored composition—a legacy of studying with Whistler, who scorned the narrative art beloved by the Victorians and had praised her control of tone. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016