Portrait of Madame Souza Lopes

In a composition of oval structure, through the position of the arms and hand that caress a fur, Sousa Lopes creates, illusorily, the sensation of relief, in the image of his wife. Marguerite Gros Pérrroux, previously depicted (c.1920), now reveals a maturity devoid of previous innocence which the distance of about seven years justifies. The shyness and the containment are transmuted in expressive naturalness: register the twist of the trunk, the communicative attitude pointing to a personality in increasing affirmation. The frontality of the face, with a penetrating and lively gaze, is accentuated by a defining shading, emphasizing a facial set of plastic mastery in planes drawn by small brushstrokes, approaching the self-portrait of the painter (MNAC). The background appears in a succession of dark areas while the figure articulates contrasts of black / white in impressive spots. The imposition of the character in the frame, her worldly character and the vibrant touch of the brushstroke remind Natacha, Russian dancer portrayed by António Soares (FCG-CAM). Both foreigners are involved in a modernist complicity, standing out from the gallery of national portraits as the most significant in these years.