Seventeenth Century Lady
Original title: Seventeenth Century Lady
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many portraits of its day, William Merritt Chase's Dame des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts (ca. 1895) shows its sitter entirely from behind. The oil study on canvas (92.7 by 60.3 cm) captures a woman in an elegant dress with puffed sleeves and a green sash, and it stands as an example of Chase's impressionist approach.
Description
Her hair is gathered into a knot, and she holds the middle of the picture, yet her face stays hidden. A long dark dress with puffed sleeves and a green sash as the one accent of color governs the view. The setting falls into darkness and softens into shadow at the bottom, while the light lands on the figure and draws her forward. Fine strokes alternate with fluid ones, stressing the texture of fabric and hair.
Context
Chase ranked among the leading American impressionists and taught at the Chase School of Art in New York. During the 1890s he worked with historical costumes and staged elegance. This canvas belongs to a series of studio portraits for which women often sat in period dress.
Impact
Because the woman turns her back, the mood grows distant and mysterious, inviting speculation about who she is. Muted colors and soft light create a quiet, intimate atmosphere. Light and shadow bring out the sitter's elegant presence.
Technique
Chase worked in oil on canvas, pairing fine brushwork for detail with fluid passages of color across larger areas. That let him distinguish the substance of the dress from the smoothness of the hair. The loose handling and the focus on effects of light point to his impressionist method.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)