Portrait of a young girl with a braid
1878
Jules Bastien-Lepage signed and dated this intimate profile study in 1878, capturing a young girl with a serious, distant gaze. Her hair is pulled back into a heavy, intricately shaded braid that contrasts beautifully with the delicate, lightly sketched ruffles of her collar. As a leading figure of French Realism, Bastien-Lepage was famous for depicting rural life with unvarnished honesty, and here he applies that same naturalistic eye to a simple, quiet portrait. The soft, smudged textures suggest a masterful hand at work, building up the dark mass of her hair while keeping her face luminous and gentle.