I left you some bread and roast beef in the pantry.
Eat here before you go.
Open the shutters downstairs and give it a clean.
I have a new tenant.
Come on!
Wait!
I found some cups!
Shall I ask her for some glasses?
The landlady.
Definitely not.
- What? - When are you coming back to Paris?
I don't know. When I've had enough of it here.
Tell Vollard I'll send my Picasso article by the end of the week.
- Take care. - You, too. Drive safely.
Who are you?
Madame Duphot gave me the keys.
She told me to come in three days a week to clean.
Would sir rather I left?
Can you make some tea?
You know how to make tea?
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
I'm going now, sir.
It値l be ten sous.
There.
Might I ask your name?
Seraphine, sir.
What are you doing here?
Right, you brought the linen.
Did you get them out?
- The stains? - Yes
We agreed three sous each.
Are you sure?
Five sous.
After that one, you can go.
What will it be, sir?
Two chops of mutton, please.
Two chops. Fillet?
Let's see what we've got.
Do you know where I can buy some letter paper?
Duval's, down the street. He's got all you need.
Not local? Where are you from?
Paris.
English? Just asking, because of the accent.
German.
That値l be eight sous.
One franc.
Wrapped up?
No need. I値l take it as it is.
Who's he?
Madame Duphot's new tenant.
What is he, a Boche?
Don't know. Give me some white.
I'm not a bank, you know.
You owe me
4 francs and 4 sous, not counting the wood panels.
You'd be better off buying coal for winter.
You owe me two months' rent. Seraphine!
Don't you think that's enough?
Just you wait!
Mademoiselle Seraphine is not receiving visitors
There you are.
I've almost finished, sir.
Can I do the bedroom?
Of course.
Leave it, I値l do it.
I enjoy cooking.
You know,
when I feel sad, I go for a walk in the country
and I touch the trees,
I talk to the birds, the flowers, the insects...
and I feel better.
I swear, I always feel better.
You haven't lost the knack.
It's good. It's very good.
Rich. Full of butter.
I baked it at one of my ladies, while she was at confession.
I'm glad to see you doing so well.
Are you lacking for anything?
Time, Mother Superior. Cleaning takes it all.
And in there? Is everything better?
Are you sure?
Can you make me some tea?
Tea again.
- What's that? - Drink.
Later, I'm busy.
No, now.
It's strong.
I make it myself. It's my energy wine.
I'll finish it later.
But I'd still like some' tea.
That's beautiful handwriting you have.
Whenever you want some, just ask.
Anatole?
Here I am, Mummy.
Have a good drive? What's the weather like in Paris?
Did the maid let you in? I was afraid you'd be locked out.
I told you I'd be gone till 6.
Yes, Mummy.
Gracious, it's hot!
I didn't ask you to change the sheets.
It's done now.
Lose the habit of answering back.
What's this I hear?
Chairman Bouillot says that you paint.
It would seem you paint.
Answer me.
Yes, what?
Not bad, he says. Have you sold any?
No, ma'am.
Bring me one tomorrow,
so I can take a look.
Run along.
And next time, for the beds, wait to be told.
"I have gone to Paris.
"Carry on as usual. "
Shall I tell you what I think? You're wasting your time.
These apples are anything but apples.
Aren't they, Anatole? Anything but apples.
Do you think? Not me.
What do you mean, not you? These apples...
They are supposed to be apples?
Yes, ma'am.
They could just as easily be plums.
Or peaches.
They look like apples to me.
Go back to your cleaning. You have better things to do.
Leave me alone.
Leave me alone. Go away.
Sleep now.
Your secret's out. We know who you are, Monsieur Uhde.
I've invited a few artist friends round this evening.
We'd be honoured to have
a respected critic and art dealer
join us.
Don't say no,
I should be horribly disappointed.
They're dreadful.
In my humble opinion, they are dreadful.
The problem with our contemporaries
is that people have no taste.
- No sense of beauty. - Very true.
That doesn't apply to you, Mademoiselle Delagneau.
- You are a true artist. - You're too kind.
All these lunatics who paint like 6-year-olds!
Did you visit the last Salon?
- Apparently, it sells. - Unbelievable!
What do you think, Monsieur Uhde?
You're not very talkative.
Forgive me, I'm very preoccupied.
Understandably so.
War seems inevitable. What will you do?
I don't know. I don't give a fig about the war.
I believe dessert is on its way.
Make the most of it. It may be the last.
You don't want any dessert?
- Who painted this? - That? I forget.
Help us do justice to my baked Alaska.
It won't stay alight forever.
Tell me who painted this.
Seraphine.
What do you mean?
Your... I mean, our cleaner.
She worked at the convent.
One day, her guardian angel commanded her to paint.
My son insisted I keep hold of it.
I値l buy it off you.
You can add it to my rent.
I値l take it with me.
Do you have any others?
I want to see them immediately.
Wait here for me.
Take a seat.
Look...
It's another of Wilhelm痴 discoveries.
We値l exhibit it in a garage at Les Invalides.
Who is it?
Wouldn稚 you like to know?
You're already tired out?
A glass of water?
That値l do you good.
- Shall I fetch her? - No, please don't.
Willy...
She's here.
Who?
Your genius.
Has she brought another painting?
Your genius is cleaning.
What are you doing?
Mopping the floor.
We waited all day for you.
I showed your work to a collector.
He was as moved as I was.
Sir shouldn稚 mock.
- Do I look the type to mock? - A bit.
Where are you going?
To fetch the wax. I wash first, then I wax.
Why don't you ever listen?
Everybody was very enthusiastic.
Smart folks always are.
They made some very flattering comparisons.
If I told you the names...
What's the matter?
Why won't you tell me?
It's very kind of sir to say
that sir's friends said kind things about my work.
You can't spend your life cleaning
when you have gold in your hands.
"Be ardent in your work
"and you will find God in your cooking pots,"
said Saint Teresa of Avila.
I'm not very religious, you know.
But the Virgin Mary?
Sir believes in the Virgin Mary, at least?
It depends.
It depends on what?
On how I'm feeling.
It depends on how I'm feeling.
But I believe in the soul. Definitely.
I believe that we humans have a soul.
It's what makes us so sad,
compared to animals.
Animals are never sad, are they?
They are.
Animals are sad.
If you take her calf from a cow, she cries.
What is it?
It's me.
Wilhelm Uhde.
Open up.
I know you were working last night.
I want to see.
I値l bring it over tomorrow. I'd prefer.
You never told me what made you want to paint.
Someone in your family?
I have no one, sir.
A teacher? Did you take lessons?
No, sir.
There must have been a moment, something...
It's an intriguing texture.
This red, for example.
What is it?
I have my little secrets.
I keep them to myself, or else they wouldn稚 be secrets.
In any case, it's good. Very good.
I see plenty of flaws in it.
What are you doing?
I'm mopping the floor.
Now I'm going to tell you what I think.
You're talented.
But you値l have to work very hard.
Don't worry about what other people say.
They know nothing.
I値l look after you.
First, we値l try to place some paintings in Paris.
I have a gallery on Rue Notre-Dame des Champs.
We could start there.
Or perhaps I値l talk to my friend, Kahnweiler.
I値l write to him right away.
You値l buy supplies from Paris.
Or Chantilly.
I'm only joking.
Duval's is as solid as our army.
We値l soon bring the Boche into line.
Kick them out, won't we?
Have you won the lottery?
Could be.
Those are my last ones. I値l order more.
It's all there.
Good.
Here, this is for you.
Sir hasn't even looked at my painting.
I did.
It's very good.
But you can see this is a bad time.
Did you iron my shirts?
They're tidied away in sir's dresser.
Would you mind fetching them?
Will sir be away for long?
I don't know.
Perhaps I won't even go.
People say the Germans won't even get across the border,
but I'm German, so I know the Germans very well.
I'm wary.
What about me?
Whatever happens, keep working.
One day, your talent will be recognized. I'm sure of it.
And if you don't come back?
I don't want your money.
I can't be bought.
I won't be taken in by promises.
Save that for Mademoiselle Anne-Marie.
What's this got to do with her?
She can't wait to get her clutches on you.
You're not making sense.
I have eyes to see and ears to hear.
You really think Anne-Marie...
Sir thinks someone of my rank
isn't able to understand things as well as him.
Not at all.
Lies!
Don't talk to me like that!
How do you think people talk to me, ever since I was born?
How do you think people talk to me?
I didn't mean to upset you.
You think you're better than me because I wash your linen,
your dirty shirts and underwear,
and mop the floor you walk on in your fine shoes.
I'd better go.
This is silly. There's no cause to be angry.
Let me explain.
If I hurt you, it was unintentional.
If my compatriots find me here,
I値l be considered a deserter and shot on the spot.
I don't think I'm superior to you,
not at all.
Anne-Marie is my sister.
Your sister?
My little sister, Anne-Marie Uhde.
I値l never marry a woman.
Never.
Why do you think I moved out here?
Go home! Filthy Boche!
They're coming. They're five hours from here.
We're going to Munich via Switzerland.
Have you got the money?
Hurry up, for God's sake!
Come on.
It's you. Have you seen my son?
He said he'd come. I've been waiting for hours.
Don't just stand there, you値l attract attention.
They ransack houses and kill people.
What about Monsieur Wilhelm?
They came for him this morning, looked everywhere.
I suppose he got away.
Run along, and don't set foot here again.
Francis Bourdet of Le Temps.
- Sorry I'm late. - Thanks for agreeing to see me.
Get in.
You were the first person to buy Picasso and Braque.
What drew you to Douanier Rousseau
and all the Naives you defend so fervently?
Naives?
I don't care for the term.
It scares me.
I truly prefer the term Modern Primitives.
Here, look...
I rented a garage before the war
to exhibit Rousseau's work, near Les Invalides.
I sold nothing, and besides my sister and some friends,
we didn't have a single visitor.
Now, he's in the Louvre
and you come out here to ask me about him.
Thank you, Marie-Louise.
You really want tea?
Not something stronger?
Tea's just fine.
Why did you come back to France?
To reclaim my collection!
A collection interprets the collector痴 spiritual education.
You can't break it up with impunity.
Yes, I heard. 17 Picassos, 13 Braques, 6 Douanier Rousseaus...
Not to mention Dufy, Marie Laurencin,
Picasso's drawings...
Requisitioned and auctioned off.
I had to start again from scratch.
Why not favour confirmed talents?
I don't collect to sell, I sell to collect.
We're going for a ride.
Do you need anything?
He shouldn稚 be riding a bike.
Let me...
It's okay.
Helmut, they're here.
You have to get up.
Sir doesn't want breakfast in bed?
I値l eat it later. Please wake Monsieur Helmut.
Good morning.
I told you he shouldn稚 be on a bike.
Is it so difficult to understand?
- You can't keep him locked up. - Don稚 argue.
K- o-I-I-e.
Yes, that's right.
I agree with you,
but he has to start somewhere.
He値l get there in the end.
I heard your name ten times.
Yes, speak to you soon.
Goodbye.
I have to go to Paris.
Why?
Bernheim's agreed to take 3 paintings, Helmut.
On condition that I arrange the sale with Kahnweiler.
I値l be back by evening.
Well, Helmut, are you pleased?
I wonder why you bother.
I don't care about fame.
I値l be dead first.
Why do you say that?
Don't talk like that!
Can you bring us back the newspapers?
A franc for the effort, but that's it.
Find less tiring jobs. You're too old, dearie.
Now then, old girl, what brings you here?
Give me 50 centimes' worth of varnish.
I'm out of varnish.
There.
Here's some veal left over from lunch.
I won't eat it.
You may as well have it.
You could say thank you.
Thank you.
Don't mention it.
Open up.
I know you're in there.
I can't.
Open the door, please. I have something to tell you.
Here...
I made it this afternoon.
It's still warm.
Did you go to the washhouse?
Yes, I was at the washhouse.
You slept a little last night?
Eat.
I値l save it for tomorrow. I already ate today.
I値l wash the bowl.
Go now, Minouche, I'm busy.
Lift up the heart of your faithful Seraphine.
Leave that, Berthe, I値l do it. You can go.
Wilhelm!
Read this.
Senlis. An exhibition at the Town Hall.
Organized by Senlis Friends of the Arts,
the exhibition includes the works of numerous local painters.
Do you think she still paints?
Who?
I'm convinced she's dead.
How can you be so sure?
Who are you talking about?
Seraphine.
Hasn't Willy ever told you about her?
She was his cleaner in Senlis.
She infatuated him before the war.
When she wasn't mopping the floor, she was painting.
Willy bought all her paintings back then.
Then we fled and we never heard of her again.
Is that you, Minouche?
No, it's me.
Wilhelm Uhde.
Sir's come back.
I was at the Town Hall.
I saw your work.
You have made great progress.
Your paintings are very beautiful.
Honestly?
You think they're better than before?
Much better.
Like the great artists.
Sir's mocking me.
It's not mockery.
Admiration.
I hardly go looking for work anymore,
I paint.
But it's very difficult.
My notebook.
My little notebook.
Thank you.
Mademoiselle Anne-Marie? How is she?
She's back in France, too.
We've rented a house together.
In Chantilly, this time.
Horrible women, shouting insults at me every day.
Come to see the gentle lamb
The feast of the angels
He came from heaven for us
Adore him one and all...
"Seraphine is our Douanier Rousseau.
"This upstanding person
"swapped her feather duster for a brush.
"She has had no lessons
"and it is best she never take any. "
God forbid!
"She possesses the temperament of an artist,
"whose alluring naivety brings to mind mediaeval art. "
As if mediaeval art were naive!
They truly have no idea.
Our Seraphine, who painted on little wooden panels.
has become a fully-fledged artist.
The wondrous thing is she's an artist ahead of her time.
Just like Van Gogh was.
Will you exhibit her in Paris?
It's too early for Paris.
By the way, what time is it?
She値l soon be here.
I値l tell them to set the table.
- What is it? - Monsieur Uhde, please.
What do you want with him?
I want with him that he's expecting me.
At last!
We'd begun to think you weren't coming.
How elegant you are!
What's in the basket? You're laden like a mule.
You're lucky to have such a big garden,
with such beautiful trees.
Lunch!
Let's go and have lunch.
She talks to the trees! I never saw the like!
And she値l only eat what she brought with her.
Berthe! Marie-Louise! Can you bring us the dessert?
What about the lamb?
We値l start with dessert. Seraphine adores rum baba.
Yes, ma'am.
From now on, I forbid you to clean anyone's house.
You値l receive this amount every month.
I have also arranged for deliveries of canvas, brushes and paints.
Don't worry about the paints.
But I'd like some Ripolin gloss. By the kilo, it's cheaper,
and please make sure the canvases are two metres high.
Two metres!
It's very important.
Will you write me a real letter one day
with your beautiful handwriting?
Of course.
And you値l send it to me by post?
Do you have my address?
Seraphine Louis, 1, Rue du Puit-Tiphaine, Senlis.
Count on it.
What kind of car is it?
What kind of car is it, Helmut?
A Horch.
It's comfortable to sit in.
If you don't mind me asking,
how much does a Horch cost, roughly?
I don't know.
I've no idea. It's Wilhelm痴.
Because I値l need a beautiful car, too,
when I'm famous.
Minouche told me you want the whole floor.
It's empty, isn't it?
- And that you can afford it. - What's your price?
There are two large rooms. 11 francs a month.
It's expensive.
Fetch me the keys.
Look!
It's beautiful.
- Yes, plates. - What are you doing?
Ransacking my store?
The soup tureen, too?
Yes, to serve soup.
Soon perhaps, you値l be waited on hand and foot.
Yes, the samovar!
What値l you do with it all?
That's my business.
Do you deliver?
Louis Seraphine live here?
I'm coming!
You don't like it.
I do.
I like it enormously.
We値l do wonders together.
Several more like that and I値l exhibit you in Paris.
She's nearly finished.
Keep your eyes shut.
When I tell you to open them, you open them, but not before.
Is it true someone came to buy your paintings?
A Parisian gentleman?
Yes, a real gentleman, sent by Monsieur Wilhelm.
With a name like a bird or a river.
Monsieur Cazou, I mean Cassou.
You can open them now!
It's beautiful.
Good gracious!
It doesn't explain the racket!
You paint with a brush?
That's right, with a brush.
Your flowers are strange. They move.
They look like insects.
They look like eyes, wounded eyes. Shredded flesh.
Terrifying things.
I know, Madame Delonges.
Me, too. When I look at them,
what I've done scares me.
Are you sure your guardian angel guides your hand?
More than ever, Mother Superior.
You say nothing, Mademoiselle.
You don't like them anymore?
Have you ever been in love?
Those things are private.
Please...
You won't tell anyone?
Once, long ago, I fell in love.
His name was Cyril. An officer.
He courted me.
We were engaged
and then, one day, he disappeared.
You never tried to find him?
When one paints,
one loves in a different way.
Often, I see him from the inside,
or in other faces.
I say to myself that if I still think of him,
perhaps he still thinks of me.
Can I take your photo?
Yes.
Look at me.
I have to raise my eyes.
My inspiration comes from up above.
It's known as the Red Castle.
It was built in 1870.
The stained glass windows are copied from Chantilly Castle.
It has twelve rooms, heated by coal-fired central heating.
Coal-fired central heating!
In the cellar.
And upstairs, six bedrooms, including one master bedroom.
How big's the kitchen?
Is there a pantry, at least?
After the Wall Street Crash devastated the USA and Europe,
the international financial crisis has hit France.
The weakness of our currency...
I can't listen to their doom saying!
- It's beautiful! - Magnificent! Superb!
Silk and taffeta.
Just imagine, Minouche.
Me, Seraphine Louis,
daughter of Joseph Louis and Josephine Maillard,
wearing taffeta and silk!
May we ask who's the lucky man?
You値l find out in good time.
Will it be ready for next month?
As promised.
And make something for my friend, a dress...
There's no need.
I insist. A bridesmaid's dress.
In silk and taffeta, like mine.
Here...
This is a down-payment.
Send the bill to my patron,
Monsieur Uhde, 7, Rue Neuve, Chantilly.
I'm ready.
You need to take it easy.
You've been working so hard.
Anne-Marie's right. You do too much.
It's not good for your work.
I was told to do it.
An order from on high.
Something very important is going to happen.
What?
I can't tell you just yet.
But that's not why we came.
I received a letter from the notary.
You want to buy a house?
Yes, I nearly forgot.
It's a big, beautiful house with lots of rooms.
I'm sure that you値l both like it.
Shall we go and visit it now?
I'm sorry if this distresses you...
but I can't afford to pay the 3,000 francs
the notary requires to finalize the sale.
I can't.
Really?
You probably don't know about the crisis in Europe?
The market's in bad shape.
I also received an extravagant bill for a bridal gown.
Yes, I meant to tell you.
But my guardian angel swore me to silence.
I thought sir would understand.
Understand what? That you fritter money away.
That's not what Wilhelm means.
The money isn't important.
We're concerned.
We have to be careful with our spending.
You can just sell a batch of paintings.
There are no buyers.
Sir has the wrong approach.
He should present my paintings in pretty gilded frames
and clients will come running.
It's more complicated than that.
What about my exhibition? When's my exhibition?
I'm ready, you know.
I fear we may be obliged to wait a little longer.
But I told you, I'm ready.
I know, and it pains me,
believe me.
But I don't have any choice.
You will organise my exhibition, won't you?
Of course, I will.
You said, next month. That's what you said!
I told them on high.
The angels are coming, and not just them.
We don't know what might happen, but it's very important.
They're expecting a lot of it.
So I've been fold.
I'm sorry, but I can't do any more.
For this year, at least, you値l have to be patient.
You no longer like my painting.
That's not at issue.
You don't like it and you daren't tell me.
Because I spend too much.
Admit it.
At least, that's what I've been fold.
You don't know what to say now!
Don't say a word! Not a word!
Leave me be!
Anyhow, they値l come for me and I値l be saved!
I think you should come upstairs.
It's me. Open up.
You can't stay cooped up like this.
Leave me alone. I'm working.
Well?
- Should we break it open? - She's painting.
I doubt it. When she paints, she sings.
Now, she doesn't sing, she talks...
The angels...
The angels, too...
The angels will be invited.
What's come over you?
Take this,
for this is my body
and this is my blood.
Fetch the police, quickly.
My paintings are blessed.
Bad girl!
Can't you untie her?
She could hurt herself.
I want to talk to her.
That's not a good idea.
Open the door, please.
Clermont Asylum, 1935
In the last months, she痴 calmed down.
She no longer infuriates the others.
I sold some of her paintings.
Do you think I could tell her?
I'd prefer her not to see you.
I'm afraid it would only result in another attack.
She has to know.
She wants to be left alone.
She says that painting has gone in the night.
Those are her own words.
What you could do is make her life more comfortable.
I値l take it.
Seraphine died in 1942 in Clermont Asylum.
Thanks to Uhde, her work was exhibited
3 years later in Paris and worldwide.
She is known today as Seraphine de Senlis.