Portrait of a Woman

This "Portrait of a Woman" was made sometime in the 1700's by James McArdell. The paint handling here feels kind of slippery, like he's chasing a likeness but never quite pinning it down. I love how the face emerges from the darkness with a tentative glow. The details in the lace collar and the intricate gold ornamentation are painted with a precision that contrasts with the softer rendering of the woman’s features. Look at the way the light catches the pearls, each dab of paint a tiny burst of luminosity. It makes me think of Reynolds, who was doing portraits around the same time. But where Reynolds goes for grandeur, McArdell feels more intimate, more human. And that’s what keeps me coming back. It's the imperfection, the sense of a real person trying to capture another, that makes it so alive.