Portrait of a Young Woman

I chose this painting by Elisabeth Vigee Labrum called Portrait of a Young Woman. It is dated at 1797, and is currently at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It is unclear exactly who this is a portrait of, but judging by her clothing I can only assume she was not royalty. Although her garments are nice, they do not seem very elaborate or overly elegant. I found Elisabeth Vigee Labrum's paintings very interesting. It seems as though every portrait of a female by her is done with such confidence we can see it through the subjects eyes and expression. This young woman's face give the impression that she is entirely sure in herself as a person and a woman in this world. I think the wind blowing in her hair adds to this effect, and gives the painting a very natural feeling to it. Although Labrum uses dark colors for most of the painting, there is dramatic lighting on her face and hair. Lastly, the fold in her dress are incredibly detailed and rich.