It was a chance introduction to the entrepreneurial London restaurateur and owner of Lutyens that sparked Bennett’s first acquaintance to three fictious French girls that almost immediately induced a new colour palette into her work. Crossing the capital, the restaurant in the old newspaper district of east-central London was as close as one could get to the valleys and slopes of Eastern France without crossing the English Channel. Inside the prestigious Fleet Street building, the wood-panelled interior of what once housed a bank had changed with the times. Bank-tellers had left and peckish visitors were now encouraged to make withdrawals in the form of L’Escargot or the delicious Coq-au-Vin; circled by soft lighting, white-linen covered tables and countless bottles of Burgundy.

The girls portrayed by Bennett throughout her practice may have grown up amongst the new bourgeoisie seen dining at Lutyens, but they never envisioned themselves as traditional. As a fresh go-getting generation somewhere between late Gen X and early Millennials, they took on the world in the noughties as self-confident and powerful individuals embracing their gender and sexuality in a media landscape that habitually portrayed them as objects. In early works, Bennett’s subjects were presented as sassy young women, bunnygirls, mythical sirens, or as the gun-swinging rebel in Wonderland; and as they gained life experience - gradually shifting the excessive self-confidence of youth into a mature self-esteem - Bennett presented new sides to her females. Some powerful and sophisticated as the woman in Damson Fling, and others seized in a private moment in Softest Cinnamon, or the intimate couple in Sleeping Lovers.

Collectively titled ‘Naked Burgundy’, Delphine, Marianne and Romy entered Bennett’s ensemble in 2013. Nude, young and suggestive, they are caught separately in modelesque poses that ooze a thick air of a flirty encounter. Two of the girls, Romy and Marianne, stand with their body turned to each side, sending the bystander a look of approval; and Delphine struts by with a savvy attitude, her shoulders swinging and her head turned as if glaring out from the surface of the paper.

Whether moving her brush to outline forms of the botanical world or the graceful silhouette of her females, colour always plays a central part in Bennett’s compositions. In works representing her most recognisable style, such as Airforce Blue and Ring-a-Zing-Zing, the artist restricts a primary colour to the drawn lines, creating a dynamism which from time to time is emphasised by slipping it into the title. However, in ‘Naked Burgundy’s she ably assigns the backdrop a key role in bringing forward the three girls. The use of negative space and the burgundy hue in different tints and tones enhances the contours of Delphine, Marianne and Romy, leaving the lines less prominent. The lighter hue embraces each girl from the back, only separated by one or two continuous sensual lines, while the blond hair, face and frontal part of her nude body is highlighted through the contrast against the dark burgundy.

Devoted to a colour palette from the wine countryside as an inspiration for the series, Bennett’s three French nudes are presented with the youthfulness of a Beaujolais and the inner refinement of a bold, full-bodied Burgundy.

Pink Knickers, Red Felt Tip Girl and Rose-Coloured Shoes - three of the earliest print editions by the artist - marked the beginning of Eyestorm’s representation of Lucie Bennett in 2005; a collaboration across twenty years which has produced twenty-five print editions released exclusively by the gallery. The three works on paper forming the series ‘Naked Burgundy’ were presented at the private view for the Lutyens exhibition in London in May 2013. Each edition of 45 is printed as archival print, and are signed, titled and numbered on front.

To view the print edition in further detail and to find more information about available works by Lucie Bennett, visit the artist’s page here.