La France Croisée

This poem by Gabriele d'Annunzio accompanied La France Croisée when Romaine Brooks first exhibited the painting in the window of a Paris gallery. Brooks painted a windswept female figure as a crusader and the personification of France. She based the woman's strong features on those of the actress Ida Rubinstein, with whom she was in love at the time. The figure's chiseled features and stern gaze set against the backdrop of a burning city evoke a sense of defiance and strength. The city represents Ypres in western Belgium, the site of a major battle during the first year of World War I. The emblem on Rubinstein's shoulder evokes the bloodshed of war, but the brilliant red may also signal the painter's passion for the actress. Reproductions of this painting, together with the poem, were later sold to raise money for the Red Cross, and Brooks received the Cross of the Legion of Honor for her service to France.