A Portrait of Maryna Pareńska

The girl’s silhouette is outlined with a dark, ornamental contour, against the backdrop made up of the wilting stems and leaves of a sunflower – the motifs typical of Secession design. However, the true merit of this painting cannot be limited only to its decorative value. A masterly command of the chiaroscuro effect means that one can see it as an expressionist portrait, and its subject ceases to be a merely decorative figure. At the time when the pastel portrait was painted, Maryna Pareńska was just 18 years old.