Portrait in profile

About this piece

Beautiful profile portrait of a lady from the 1920s. It exudes a strong expression. The artist, unfortunately unknown, painted the portrait in a brisk manner.

The use of colour can be described as Fauvist, and the painting style reminiscent of Kees van Dongen.

The lady is wearing a red cloche hat, a brown fox fur around her neck, a pearl necklace underneath, a black fur coat. She has a lovely profile with a pronounced hooked nose, black eyebrows, a black beauty mark on her cheek, and red lips. Classic colours except for her face being yellow with blue. It's impressive for an artist to dare such colour choices, and it works wonderfully.

The portrait is outlined in pencil and painted with watercolour. It is not signed.

I find it an impressive portrait; the strength radiates from it. It's certainly worth giving this work all the attention it deserves. It was likely created in Paris during the 1920s, a time when Paris was the capital of art, and Fauvism, Expressionism, and all modern innovative art were being pioneered. Artists from around the world flocked to Paris to learn, experiment, and meet each other.

This work originates from a sketchbook; when I saw it, it was framed in this old frame, and behind it, an unfinished study from the same sketchbook was visible. I took it to a professional paper restorer. It was dirty, framed without a passe-partout, and she carefully examined and cleaned it. It's now framed with a passe-partout and museum glass, featuring an acid-free backing. She didn't alter the painting itself, which was fortunate. For example, the black dot under her nose was left untouched. She did remove the torn edge of the sketchbook, allowing the work to be freely framed.

Condition

Very good, see explanation above.