Girl in Profile 

Gwen John painted this quiet, intimate oil painting, titled ‘Girl in Profile’, probably in the late 1910s. The composition centres on a young girl seen in profile, with soft, diffused light that creates a dreamlike atmosphere. John’s delicate brushstrokes and muted palette emphasize the subject's serene and contemplative mood. The background is a wash of warm tones, punctuated by subtle patterns that suggest a domestic interior, while the girl's dark clothing sharply contrasts with her light hair and pale skin. The formal simplicity and understated elegance of the work invite us to consider the interplay between visibility and concealment, presence and absence. The artwork's subdued tones and intimate scale reflect John's broader artistic project, to capture the quiet moments of everyday life. Through its formal qualities, the painting functions as a meditation on identity, representation, and the unspoken depths of human emotion.