Little Girl Carrying Flowers in Her Apron by Degas

This early portrait bears witness to the classical and academic training of the illustrious painter Edgar Degas, who willingly practiced copying the compositions of the old masters. Through this work titled “Little Girl Carrying Flowers in Her Apron”, the artist explores the delicacy of children’s portraits with remarkable sensitivity. This traditionally crafted work shows the solid foundations of his linear technique before he broke away from it to fully embrace the modernity and chromatic innovations of the Impressionist movement.

In the center of the canvas, a young brunette girl steps toward the viewer while sketching a graceful dance step. She wears a vaporous white dress adorned with fine lace on the collar and small scarlet bows on the puffed sleeves, fitted at the waist with a wide bright red sash. With her delicate hands, she lifts the folds of her skirt which holds a small bouquet of colorful flowers. Her slender feet are shod in black pumps laced around her ankles. The background is plunged into a very dark brown and earthy shadow, evoking a dense undermarginal wood or an darkened interior. A soft, frontal light strikes the child directly, making the whiteness of her garment resplendent.

Edgar Degas’s technical mastery is manifested in the exceptional rendering of the draperies and the softness of the milky skin tones. His craftsmanship in oil painting is expressed through subtle transitions between the brightness of the fabrics and the depth of the shadow. The artist proves here his early talent for breathing life into his subjects.