Le Fauconnier was a member of the Puteaux Group and an associate of Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger, and Fernand Leger. After the First World War Le Fauconnier gave up his avant-garde experiments and, like many of his colleagues, started to look for the “genuine tradition” that he saw in the art of the old masters. His post-war canvases have a realistic imprint. 

“Contemplative Model” is Le Fauconnier’s canonical piece of 1923, illustrating the artist’s opinion on painting tradition. The dark colors, stable composition, seriousness, and thoughtfulness of the image reflect the master’s manner. This artwork was given to the Museum by Andre-Marc Delocque-Fourcaud, Sergey Schukin’s grandson.