Paul Fischer - Portrait of a Young Girl in a Striped Dress

Paul Fischer (1860–1934) Denmark

Portrait of a Young Girl in a Striped Dress, c. 1895-1905. 

signed lower right “Paul Fischer”
oil on canvas
unframed 34 × 23 cm (13.4 × 9.1 in)
framed 44 × 33 cm (17.3 × 13 in)
presented in a new gilded frame

Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom.

Condition report:
The painting is in fine overall condition and has recently been professionally cleaned. The colours are clear and well preserved. Presented in a new gilded frame.
Please contact the gallery for a more detailed condition report.

Essay:
In this intimate portrait, Paul Fischer depicts a young girl with the directness and refinement that characterize his finest studies of contemporary figures. Seen against a loosely painted green background, she turns slightly to the left, her calm expression and clear blue eyes providing the psychological focus of the composition. Her softly waved auburn hair frames the face in carefully controlled curves, while the boldly striped dress and high white collar give the portrait a distinctly modern character.

Fischer was born in Copenhagen in 1860 and received his early artistic training from his father, Philip August Fischer, himself originally a painter before establishing a successful paint and varnish business. Paul Fischer attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1876 to 1878, although his formal academic education was relatively brief. During the following decade he worked alongside his father while developing his career as an artist and illustrator. From 1884 onwards he exhibited regularly at Charlottenborg.

He became particularly celebrated for his observations of modern Copenhagen. Streets, cafés, theatres, fashionable pedestrians and the changing rhythms of urban life earned him an enduring reputation as one of the characteristic painters of the Danish capital around 1900. Yet his production was considerably broader and included landscapes, bathing scenes, interiors and portraiture.

A prolonged engagement with Paris during the 1890s proved important to Fischer’s development. His palette became lighter and more varied, while his representation of contemporary life increasingly reflected the cosmopolitan visual culture of the Belle Époque. French painting, illustration and poster design all informed his work, and Fischer himself became an accomplished illustrator and poster artist.

The present portrait belongs naturally within this interest in modern life. There is no attempt to turn the sitter into an allegorical or historical figure. Her clothing, hairstyle and unaffected pose instead emphasize her contemporary identity. The vertically striped bodice is especially striking, alternating dark brown with cream passages articulated by rapid strokes of paint. Above it, the high collar creates a pale band beneath the face, separating the warm flesh tones from the darker costume.

The handling is particularly effective in the transition between face and surrounding areas. Fischer gives the features sufficient precision to establish individuality, but avoids a polished academic finish. Short, visible brushstrokes remain throughout the forehead, cheeks and hair. Around the shoulders and background, the paint becomes broader and freer. The green setting is constructed from overlapping strokes of olive, ochre and darker green rather than from any identifiable interior.

This economy directs attention entirely towards the sitter. Her expression is composed but not formal. The slight turn of the head and distant gaze give the impression of a moment observed rather than a rigidly posed likeness. It is an approach closely connected to Fischer’s wider ability to capture figures within everyday life, whether encountered on the streets of Copenhagen or isolated, as here, for closer study.

Portraiture formed a recurring strand within Fischer’s career. A closely comparable Portrait of a Young Girl, painted in 1903 and inscribed Värmland, demonstrates his interest in intimate portraits of young sitters during this period. In both works, individual likeness is combined with an attention to contemporary dress and a relatively free, painterly surface.