Portrait of a Lady 1920

Philip Alexius de László painted this "Portrait of a Lady" with oil on canvas and I wonder what the lady thought of it. There's a gentleness in the face, a vulnerability even, but the way the paint handles her dress is much more vivacious. Look closely, and you can see where de László has let the brush dance and drag, creating these sheer layers of fabric that suggest a body without really describing it. It's like he’s using the paint to build an atmosphere around her, a kind of delicate power. The color is there, but very restrained. The painting reminds me of John Singer Sargent’s portraits. Both were painting in a similar moment and trying to find new ways of representing people that were both accurate and alive. Neither is about getting it ‘right,’ but about finding the life in the mark.