Untitled 

This painting, by Jules-Alexandre Grun, likely made in the late 19th or early 20th century, is rendered in oil paint. The expressive brushwork indicates that this was probably done relatively quickly, en plein air. The way Grun has handled the medium of oil paint makes it seem immediate and present. His subject, a woman drinking from a glass, is caught in a moment of leisure. Her clothing and accessories, including a flower-adorned hat, suggest both status and careful attention to fashion, which by the time this work was made, was becoming a form of mass consumption, and the engine for significant industrial production. Grun doesn't dwell on the particulars of the woman's clothing, but rather captures a fleeting, light-infused impression. This mirrors the larger shifts in Parisian society, where older class distinctions were giving way to a fascination with novelty, pleasure, and the democratizing force of fashion. In this way, even a quickly executed oil sketch can give us a glimpse into broader historical forces.