Two Studies of a Woman Dressing

Félix Vallotton

National Gallery of Art

The image is a sketch of two partial views of a woman's upper body, from the waist up. On the left side, the woman is shown in profile facing to the right, with her arm bent at the elbow and her hand slightly clenched in front of her chest. Her facial features are minimally sketched, and her hair is styled up with some detail indicating waves or curls. On the right side, the same woman is depicted facing more toward the viewer with her left arm resting on a surface, her hand extending outward. Her facial features are more defined with indications of eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and her hair is similarly styled. She appears to be wearing a sleeveless garment or blouse with a fitted waist. The sketch is monochromatic, executed in pencil on plain paper with a light background. The backdrop is unadorned, focusing solely on the figure sketches.