Child in a Red Hat 1905

Carolus-Duran painted this portrait, Child in a Red Hat, with oils, somewhere around 1885. The brushwork is really confident and kind of juicy, especially in the kid's face, like he's figuring it out as he goes. I love how Duran uses these really loose strokes to build up the form, particularly in the red hat, it almost looks like a sketch. The edges of the hat aren't clearly defined, they kind of dissolve into the background. This makes the hat feel less like a solid object and more like an aura or a halo around the child's head. The red of the hat is really echoed in the child's lips too, like a little dab of the same paint. This approach to portraiture reminds me of Manet who Duran knew well, with the emphasis on capturing a fleeting impression. There's something so modern about embracing that ambiguity. It's like Duran is saying, "Here's what I saw, but it's up to you to fill in the blanks."