Description of the picture:
Portrait of Mrs. Harriet Grier – George Romney. 1781. Oil on canvas. 76×64
After Gainsborough and Reynolds, the most significant English portrait painter is George Romney (1734-1802). The circle of his customers consisted mainly of aristocrats and wealthy connoisseurs of painting. In contrast to his predecessors, Romney was not stingy with embellishing his models.
Before us is one of the portraits of secular beauties, which were especially successful for the artist and were in great demand. The master perfectly conveys the image of a young charming aristocrat, emphasizes her tender face, covered with a blush, shading it with a faithful wide-brimmed hat with a feather. However, the lady’s look is very arrogant, there is no warmth and softness in it, which is also confirmed by closed lips. The model seems to distance itself from the viewer, wanting to indicate its status."
