Portrait of a Lady, possibly Madame Van Cleef 

Paul César Helleu likely made this portrait of a lady, possibly Madame Van Cleef, with pencil and sanguine crayon. Helleu was a Belle Époque artist who is best known for his portraits of elegant women. During this time, Paris was a fashion capital and a hub of artistic innovation, though traditional standards of beauty were still revered. Here we see one such personification of beauty. The loose lines and unfinished quality of this sketch give it a sense of intimacy, as if we are catching a glimpse of the sitter in a private moment. The woman's gaze is direct and engaging, but it is also slightly melancholic. Does the portrait capture a sense of the subject's social standing, her awareness of herself as an object of admiration? To know more about Helleu’s work, we might look to exhibition catalogues and contemporary art criticism for a better sense of the artist's career and social milieu. Only then can we fully understand the cultural significance of his art.