A Delightful Evening c. 1906

Alice Pike Barney made this pastel portrait, A Delightful Evening, with soft strokes of color that seem to float on the paper. It’s like she’s conjuring a memory, not just painting a face, but weaving a whole mood of happiness. I imagine Barney with her pastels, feeling the powdery pigments between her fingers, working quickly. The way the colors blend—those yellows and blues swirling around the figure—gives it all a dreamy, ethereal quality. It's as if she’s capturing a fleeting moment of joy. I love the way she's rendered the smile, it's so subtle, yet it radiates warmth, don’t you think? Pastel portraits were a big thing for society artists and Barney would have seen the work of artists like Mary Cassatt. But I find that Barney does something more than record likeness. It’s as if she’s after something more elusive, like capturing the essence of a feeling. To me, this is a beautiful example of how one artist can build on the ideas of another, finding her own voice and vision in the process.