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Length: 01:57
Posted: 7/23/2009
S raphine is the story of S raphine Louis aka S raphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper who in 1905 at age 41, self-taught and with the instigation of her guardian angel began painting brilliantly colorful canvases. In 1912 Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur), a German art critic and collector - he was one of the first collectors of Picasso and champion of na ve primitive painter Le Douanier Rousseau - discovered her paintings while she worked for him as a maid in his house in Senlis outside Paris. A moving and unexpected relationship develops between the avant-garde art dealer and the visionary cleaning lady leading to S raphine s work being grouped with other na ve painters the so-called Sacred Heart Painters - with acclaimed shows in France, elsewhere in Europe and eventually at New York s MOMA . Martin Provost s poignant portrait of this now largely forgotten painter is a testament to the mysteries of creativity and the resilience of one woman s watch
By day, Seraphine is a housekeeper whose hours are occupied with the solitary duties of laundry, cleaning and ironing. In her spare time, however, she immerses herself in the wonders of nature. There she talks to the trees, birds and insects around her. It is the only communication available to her, and her intimacy with the natural world inspires her to express her feelings on canvas. Desperately poor, she makes her own paints from the soil, the blood of animals and oil stolen from the votive candles at church. Alone in her room, she studiously paints wondrous canvases of flowers. Then new tenants take over the house where she works, and her life takes a turn. watch
