Young Gipsy Woman (1870) by Kārlis HūnsLatvian National Museum of Art
Life of the roma
In the prejudiced law and tradition bound society of 19th century Europe the life of the Roma gave reason to believe in the possibility of personal freedom.
The inspiration
Upon completing his studies at the Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, in his study trip to Europe Kārlis Hūns (1870) also visited Italy.
The setting
Dreamy recollections and impressions about southern charms later echoed in his works, including via the Italian and Roma women that he painted.
The girl
Windswept tresses of hair frame the girl's face, while her free-falling garment reveals a shoulder giving the master the opportunity to render her skin in a tender play of light.
Details
Every detail – the young woman's locks of hair.
Her raised arm with the tambourine.
Folds of her clothing, a fragment of lace or the climbing foliage – is a testament to the artist's faithfulness to the accurate depiction of nature.
Artist comment
Regarding the perfect execution of his paintings and, looking back at this work among others, in early 1871 he wrote: "…if I have achieved any success it is only during the last two years, while those that went before I have to see as years of preparation".