Drawings

In her autobiography Marcelle Cahn points out : "I have always loved drawing and very early, I went to an art school where I was first instructed to draw ellipses with charcoal to limber up my hand. Then, quite soon afterwards, I drew still lifes, heads, and even nudes." (1)

She continues to study drawing in Berlin between 1915 and 1918 under the direction of Spiro (portraits) and Corinth (nudes).

In Paris, during the 20’s, Arraujo "makes (her) also do small drawings with geometric shapes." (1) She continues to draw nudes, still lifes and abstract cubism at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.

Marcelle Cahn’s range of drawings is eclectic : abstract drawings, geometric drawings, architectural drawings, nude drawings, portraits. Drawing is the foundation of her creations.

For a long time Marcelle Cahn’s drawings remained practically unknown. The artist explained this in 1964 : "It’s like a diary for me, the expression of sensations caught in action…, also,… relaxation after my constructive works and the pressure required to carry them out." (2)

(1) CAHN Marcelle. Autobiographie. Paris, CNAC, 1972.

(2) Marcelle Cahn entre la géométrie et l’instinct in Arts, lettres, spectacles, musique, 18-24 novembre 1964, n°981.

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