The Dreamer
About 1765-1769
Jean-Baptiste Greuze was the 18th-century master of capturing fleeting, sentimental emotions, and here he catches a young woman completely lost in a sweet reverie. Her head tilts back, lips slightly parted, and cheeks flushed with a rosy glow that suggests she's dreaming of something quite pleasant—perhaps a secret romance. Greuze was famous for these kinds of intimate portraits, often called 'tête d'expression' (heads of expression), which were designed to study human emotion and make viewers feel like they were peeking into a private, vulnerable moment.
- Technique
- Oil painting