Dimensions: unconfirmed: 766 x 630 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Here we have Balthasar Denner's "A Girl in a Straw Hat," held here at the Tate. Denner lived from 1685 to 1749. Editor: Well, she's quite flushed, isn't she? The hat's a bold splash of color against the otherwise subdued tones. Curator: Denner was renowned for his meticulous detail, almost photographic realism. You can almost feel the texture of the straw. Editor: It's true, but the high chroma clashes somewhat jarringly with the soft features of the face. Almost as if the subject has been caught unawares. Curator: Perhaps Denner sought to capture the fleeting blush of youth, the juxtaposition creating a sense of immediacy. Editor: Maybe, or maybe the artist just really liked that hat. Curator: An observation, indeed. It leaves one wondering what stories lie behind that enigmatic smile.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/denner-a-girl-in-a-straw-hat-t07322
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Denner, a native of Hamburg, lived and worked in England from 1721 to 1728. He was famous in his day for meticulous and enamel-like portraits of old men and women which depicted wrinkled skin and old age in elaborate detail. Such works won him international acclaim and were highly sought after, but when in London he decided to abandon this exhausting work for a broader manner. This lively study of a market girl is an exceptional example of his new style, executed with a fluidity which pressages that of Hogarth. Figurative genre was popular in Continental Europe in the early eighteenth century and this work demonstrates the new artistic scope immigrant artists were bringing to London. Gallery label, August 2004
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