Portrait of Elisa Casas
Ramon Casas, 1889
This full-length portrait shows Elisa Casas, the artist's sister, standing in the back courtyard of the family home on Carrer Nou de Sant Francesc in Barcelona. Casas dresses her in a pale dress and holds a glove in one hand, surrounded by large plant pots and greenery that fill the background. The figure sits easily against the foliage, giving the scene a everyday quality rather than a formal one. It is the only one of the three portraits of Elisa made outdoors, unlike the others, which rely on a dark backdrop. Before painting it, Casas made a small oil sketch and a more detailed charcoal drawing, and he also studied the flower pots on his own terrace. Dated 1889, the work was shown at the Sala Parés in Barcelona and then at the Paris Salon, and it is regarded as one of the strongest works of his early career. Critics praised the fidelity to observation, though some noted the cool palette as something more typical of Northern European painters.
- Painter
- Ramon Casas
- Date
- 1889
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Dimensions
- 200 × 100 cm
- Movement
- Art Nouveau
- Genre
- portrait
- Depicts
- Elisa Casas, Barcelona, glove, woman, yard, flower, plant
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