Artwork
Young Girl in Profile
Young Girl in Profile is a print by the Impressionist artist Félix Vallotton. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The print presents a young woman in profile, her head slightly inclined and hair gathered in a loose bun.
About this work
Overview
The print presents a young woman in profile, her head slightly inclined and hair gathered in a loose bun. She wears a plain white blouse whose subtle sheen reveals the fabric’s texture. The composition is intimate, focusing on the sitter’s calm expression and the delicate modeling of light across her features.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is Hélène Chatenay, a seamstress who shared a domestic life with the artist in Paris’s Latin Quarter during the 1890s. Their relationship, marked by frequent artistic collaboration, is reflected in the personal, unguarded pose, suggesting a private moment rather than a formal portrait.
Technique & Style
Executed with a soft, diffused edge, the print employs a technique reminiscent of sfumato, allowing contours to melt into one another. This approach creates a gentle atmospheric quality, emphasizing the sitter’s facial planes while maintaining a modest level of detail in the clothing and hair.
History & Provenance
The image derives from a study Vallotton first rendered as a drawing two years prior to the print’s creation. After their cohabitation ended with Vallotton’s sudden marriage to Gabrielle Rodrigues‑Henriques in 1899, the work remained part of his oeuvre, documenting an earlier, more intimate phase of his personal and artistic life.
Artist & collection
Artist
Félix Édouard Vallotton (French: ; December 28, 1865 – December 29, 1925) was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as Les Nabis.
Frauenkopf (Head of Woman)
Profile Head of a Woman
Profile of a Girl
Frauenbildnis (Portrait of a Woman)
Etude de femme, en buste de face (Study of a Woman, Half-Length Facing Front)
Head of a Young Woman
Frauenbildnis (Portrait of a Woman)
Bildnis einer Jungen Dame—Anneliese Halbe (Portrait of a Young Woman—Anneliese Halbe)
Le Biarotte
Bust of an Italian Woman
Tête de femme, profil à droite (Head of a Woman in Profile to the Right)
Bust of a Young Peasant Girl in a Plaid Jacket