Petit profil (Seated Girl Wearing a Red Coat and a Blue Hat) 1920 - 1925

Gwen John made this painting, “Petit profil (Seated Girl Wearing a Red Coat and a Blue Hat),” with oil on canvas. I’m looking at these strokes, and I’m wondering about the way she put them down. Did she make them slowly, or did they happen fast? Sometimes, when I'm painting, I get a bit of a running start and fling some colors down, just to break the ice, you know? I can imagine Gwen doing that with this one, starting with that warm red, then pulling out the form. I’m curious about her decision to crop the girl’s face. It makes me wonder what Gwen was thinking as she painted. Was she struggling to capture her likeness? I sympathize. Sometimes you just have to leave things unfinished. It’s like, "Okay, that’s enough for today," and you move on. This one feels really alive to me. It's not overworked, and the color and light are just singing.