2-738-304 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of a Woman, c. 1889-1899. Béranger is known as an academic painter of genre subjects. This pastel study of a young woman with downcast eyes conveys a sense of vitality and immediacy lacking in his more highly finished works in oil. While the graceful features of her face are articulated with tender detail, the flowers adorning her hair are summarily indicated with a handful of rapid strokes, and her bodice is barely suggested.