Julie London
Oil on canvas
60 x 50cm
Oil on canvas
60 x 50cm
Julie London was an American singer, actress and model from the mid 1950's to the late 1960's. She was a film and TV star as well as a pin-up model and her low contralto voice gave her singing an intimate, sultry tone. She recorded over thirty albums of jazz standards and popular music including the classic 'Cry Me a River.' I chose to paint her as I thought Lautrec would have seen her. Lautrec painted the then stars of the stage and theatre and I have used his portrayal of Jane Avril as the influence for my painting. Jane Avril was a popular dancer at the Moulin Rouge and Lautrec's poster of her has been a popular image long afterwards. Avril was famed for her eccentric and sometimes erotic dancing style and I see some correlation with Julie London's sex appeal and stardom.
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