Young Lady in Blue

The Brukenthal Museum preserves in its collection a significant part of his creation: portraits, mythological and allegorical scenes, which prove his talent and the importance and quality of his work. The model who posed for Girl in Blue (dated: 1868) is a young girl from Bra?ov, Elena Costea. The artist approaches his model delicately; he places her in a scarcely rendered interior, thus adding warmth to this academic composition. Her figure reveals the gentle, warm, serene and impersonal manner of the Biedermeier portraiture. Her face and her distinguished apparel are painted with “a sense of matter and sensitiveness towards the effects of the light falling on the fabric, on the carnation of the model, on her hair and on her jewels”. The 19th century feminine portraits often contain these elements, accessories, attributes which help define the character. Flowers in their hair or held by delicate hands are a symbol of love.