Pensive Girl 1904

Look at this painting by Léon Bazile Perrault, where a girl is sitting in what looks like a doorway. I bet he mixed up a bunch of neutral hues to create a gritty scene, then painted a pure cerulean blue for her dress. Imagine him stepping back, squinting, maybe muttering to himself, trying to capture the particular mood of this girl - the slight slump of her shoulders, the way her eyes seem to look right through you. It’s like he’s trying to figure out the essence of pensiveness itself. I wonder if Perrault was thinking of some of the Dutch Masters, maybe someone like Vermeer. There's something about the way he captures the light and the quiet intimacy of the scene. It’s all part of this long, ongoing conversation artists have been having for centuries.