It’s not often that we see portraits done in profile, especially in our own time. I came across this portrait by Laura Anning Bell in Tate Britain when I was researching for a gallery session with members of IGNITE! I didn’t use it at the time but I kept the image to use in a blog post such as this as I found the sensitive side view mesmerising. Every time I bring up the image, I’m pulled in. So I want to share the work, looking at it in detail and offering my thoughts as we go. (A note: My words and descriptions relate to the image on screen rather than from the actual painting. I say this because, as we know, there can be a difference between what we see in a photo and the real thing!)

Before we examine the parts of the portrait, have a look at the entire painting.

Let’s start at the top of the head. It sits darkly against the background, but the contour isn’t as hard-edged as we might expect. Instead, we have a sense of the softness of hair as it coats the head. The artist has created this effect by using scumbling transition marks between the dense application of the hair and the background.

Have a look.

Next, let’s look at the hair itself – dark with a glowing warmth. Can you see how the values of the colours are close yet the turn of the form is shown with some slightly lighter and greyer in colour? 

Have a look at the way the eyebrow is indicated. We can tend to apply more darkness in the eyebrow area than is needed. Here the artist combines a blue-green (and you’ll see this used elsewhere) with a warm brown, all fairly light value, more so than one might expect. And while we’re here, take note of the cool blue used for the front of the forehead.

And without further ado, the eye. Can you see how the artist indicates the cornea – clear and curved over what looks like a brown iris? Look at the way Anning Bell depicts the eyelashes, with just a hint of marks and colour (that blue-green again!). You can feel the skin of the eyelids encasing the eye supportively, with the soft fold below the eyebrow revealing something about the age of this woman sitter.  

And now, the nose and mouth. I’m delighted by the purples and red-violets used to create the nose. And what I wanted to point out here is the use of the same red pastel in the nostril as in the lips.

A quick look at the chin reveals the lost and found edge of the contour. See how the artist “breaks” the line just under the mouth?

Have a look at an area of the sitter’s cheek. Can you see how, except for the crease between nose and mouth (shown only faintly darker than the rest), the colours change subtly from warm to cool to warm (yellows to blues to pinks to yellows)?

And of course, we can’t omit the ear, sitting as it is in the middle of this portrait. Each curve and dip and hardness and softness are shown using yellows and pinks in different values but with no colour very dark. Subtle changes in values can create form! 

Speaking of subtle, look at the way Anning Bell reveals the shadow below the jawline – with a hint of blue-green hardly darker than the surrounding pinks and yellows. You can see how she’s used the same effect with the dimple at the corner of the mouth. It doesn’t take much of a shift.

Moving to the back of the head, you can sense the hair in the wee bun, with a few strands threatening to come loose.

I have two more sections to show you. 

The first is a slice from hair to clothing. It seems like artist Laura Anning Bell may have used the same dark blue-green for the lower area of hair as well as the spots of colour in the fabric.

Finally, the lower part of the portrait. It’s shown with a minimum of detail. We note the button that holds the fabric together and we get a sense of the texture and colour of the cloth but there’s little else. The marks are cursory and feel hurried, as does the very light colour added to either side of the clothing, serving to accentuate the shape and darkness of the material. It’s interesting that the artist was moved to add this light colour here and not around the head (except where the cloth meets the neck at the back of the head).

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the journey into the nooks and crannies of this depiction by the English artist Laura Anning Bell of what is believed to be Annie Horniman. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas about anything in the portrait. What does it say about the sitter? About the artist? There’s so much to note and learn from, so do please share whatever you observe!!

Until next time,

~ Gail