Assyrian Girl 

William Merritt Chase painted this oil on canvas, ‘Assyrian Girl’, sometime around the late 19th Century. The composition immediately strikes us with its stark contrast. A young woman is positioned against a dark, almost engulfing background. The rapid, almost staccato, brushstrokes, particularly evident in the girl’s clothing and hair, create a sense of immediacy and movement. The splashes of red and yellow floral patterns on her gown are not merely decorative. They function as visual disruptions, challenging the eye to reconcile the figure with her surroundings. Chase destabilizes traditional portraiture by employing a seemingly unfinished quality, highlighting the materiality of the paint itself. This approach mirrors broader artistic concerns of the period, questioning fixed meanings and exploring new ways of representing identity and perception. The somewhat ambiguous title invites viewers to question the cultural codes at play, pushing us to reconsider the representation of identity.