Head and Shoulders of a Girl
1873
oil
canvas
From the collection of National Gallery of Ireland
1873
oil
canvas
From the collection of National Gallery of Ireland
Head and Shoulders of a Girl is a 1873 oil by Joseph O'Reilly, held at National Gallery of Ireland.
This painting is a portrait of a young woman, depicted from the shoulders up. Her head is turned to the left, and her short brown hair is styled in a bob. The woman's skin is pale, and her facial expression is neutral. Her breasts are exposed, and her arms are at her sides. The background of the painting is a light gray color, which provides a subtle contrast to the subject's skin tones. The overall effect is one of quiet intimacy, as if the viewer has stumbled upon a private moment. The artist's use of chiaroscuro adds depth and volume to the subject, drawing the viewer's eye to her face and shoulders. To learn more about this technique, look up chiaroscuro.
Joseph O’Reilly painted portraits in oils during the late 1880s. One of his works here is Head and Shoulders of a Girl, a small oil that focuses on soft light on a young face. He exhibited in Dublin between 1884 and…
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