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February 5, 2026
Gwen John: Strange Beauties review
National Museum, CardiffIn a superb, mystical retrospective, the painter sheds social trappings – and her clothes – as she uses her enormous intelligence to paint purely
TL;DR
- Gwen John's retrospective at Cardiff's National Museum features her austere style, focusing on solitary women and sparse rooms.
- Her art prioritizes inner experience, stripping away social details to depict sorrow, illness, and recovery.
- The exhibition includes portraits of women in blue dresses, studies of her friend Dorelia, and a portrait of Auguste Rodin.
- John's self-portraits as nude figures emphasize her drive for truth and freedom from societal constraints.
- Later works include portraits of individualistic nuns, reflecting her conversion to Catholicism and artistic service to the church.
- The exhibition showcases small paintings in pale colors, conveying emotional weight and a spectral quality.
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