Young Woman in Black by Degas

Revealing the psychological strength and sobriety of family portraiture, this intimate work by Degas Edgar, associated with the Realist movement, stands under the title of “Young Woman in Black” within his repertoire. The artist depicts his own sister with a dignity and melancholy stripped of all bourgeois artifice. This painting bears witness to his immense talent for capturing the interiority of his relatives.

A young woman is depicted seated half-length and three-quarters to the right of the composition, her arms crossed over her chest in an attitude of deep, serious and quiet introspection. She is dressed in a sober black dress adorned with a delicate white stand-up collar and an ochre-yellow silk ribbon tied around her neck. Her dark hair is smooth and parted in the middle. The left part of the image is painted with a dark blue-grey background with expressive strokes, while the right reveals the natural beige cardboard in a very elegant and simple way.

This work bears witness to the artist’s exceptional pictorial mastery in the treatment of chiaroscuro and expressions. The painter uses fluid and precise brushstrokes to model the face and suggest the texture of dark fabrics, giving a timeless presence to his model with dazzling craftsmanship.