Madame Lisle
ca. 1866-70
Degas captures a moment of quiet elegance in this portrait of Madame Lisle, likely a society woman of the time. Her dark, upswept hair is dramatically accented with a splash of red—likely a flower—and dark feathers, contrasting sharply with her pale, serene face. The inscription 'Mme Lisle' floats in red chalk at the top, acting almost like a label in a fashion sketchbook, while the artist's signature 'Degas' sits boldly in the bottom left corner. The loose, sketchy strokes suggest he was capturing a specific expression or lighting rather than a stiff, formal pose, hinting at his Impressionist roots even in this early drawing.
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