Artful and heartbreaking tale of Seraphine

Seraphine, Martin Provost's poignant and salutary biopic of French painter Seraphine de Senlis, not only sheds light on a visionary artist whose story is little-known but it has also made a star of lead actress Yolande Moreau.

Born in 1864, Seraphine de Senlis was a 'modern primitive' painter who went on to produce some of the most acclaimed paintings of the 20th century.

But for many years de Senlis - who was born Seraphine Louis but later took the name of her hometown - created her work in secret while toiling as a cleaning lady. At night she painted her exotic, swirling canvases of fruits, flowers and trees, often using blood from offal and candle wax to boost the small amount of paint she could afford.

It is likely that her talents would have remained hidden if William Uhde, a German art critic and an early supporter of Picasso, had not moved from Paris to Senlis and chanced upon her work. Much to the mirth of the local townsfolk, who regarded Seraphine as an eccentric and slightly pathetic figure, Uhde started to buy and champion her work.

Provost's multi-award-winning film - it won seven Cesars, including best film, best screenplay, best cinematography and best actress - follows de Senlis for two decades, from 1914.

Her career was interrupted by the outbreak of war, but as peace resumed the artist and her patron are finally reunited and Seraphine finally achieved the recognition and riches that her talents deserved. Seraphine however was ill-equipped to handle fame and financial success and suffered a mental