Chana ORLOFF
1888 - 1968
Since the French Revolution, Paris has been the indisputable capital of the artistic world. The 19th century is crossed by different movements: Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. During the first half of the 20th century, a large community of artists from all walks of life, French and foreign alike, formed in Paris, thus strengthening the position of the French capital.
Among these artists, a young woman will be noticed very quickly until becoming one of the major figures of this community which one commonly designates by the expression "The school of Paris".
Her name is Chana Orloff.
Chana Orloff was born in Ukraine in 1888, the penultimate of a family of nine children. Her father is a teacher, her mother is a midwife.
From her earliest childhood, she struggles to accept her destiny as a young girl prepared to become the future wife of a man who will be chosen by her parents.
She learns to read in the evening in secret with the help of one of her brothers, then manages to convince her parents to send her on an apprenticeship to become a seamstress.
His life changed for the first time around the age of sixteen. The family home is burned down. The Orloffs are forced to leave the country for Palestine, driven out by Jewish ostracization and pogroms.
The family is destitute, her brothers work in the fields while Chana does sewing work which allows her family to live. She is very quickly noticed by the director of the school where one of her brothers teaches gymnastics. He succeeded in convincing her to leave for Paris to follow advanced training as a seamstress so that on her return she could claim to make it her real job.
Chana arrived in Paris in 1910 and became an apprentice in the haute-couture house of Jeanne Paquin. She also takes evening classes to complete her training. This is the second turning point in his young existence. One of her professors saw a real talent in her and encouraged her to apply for the entrance examination for the School of Decorative Arts.
She integrates the school brilliantly by ranking second in the competition. These three years of training will allow her to acquire a solid base as a designer and sculptor. Sewing is now a thing of the past.
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