books0977:Portrait of Gertrude Russell (1915). Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862-1951). Oil
books0977: Portrait of Gertrude Russell (1915). Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862-1951). Oil on canvas. The portrait is exemplary in its freedom of expression and sympathetic portrayal. Gertrude, age 11, sits cross-legged with a book in her lap, gazing shyly at the viewer. Benson adeptly captures the texture of her frilly frock and the layering of the folds of fabric by interweaving broken, discernible brushstrokes of varied tones of cream and ivory. These expanses of finery are broken only by Gertrude’s pink sash and oversized hair bow. Benson echoes these hues, in the fabrics on the bench and in traces of the rug pattern, adding cohesion to the composition. -- source link