Antonina Sofronova. Portrait of a Girl in Lilac

A female portrait of 1928 by Antonina Sofronova (1892–1966). The artist moved from the Cézannism of the Jack of Diamonds circle through Constructivism to her own lyrical manner in painting and graphics, which continued the traditions of French Post-Impressionism.

The girl is shown head and shoulders, turned three-quarters to the left. She wears a striped lilac dress with puffed sleeves and a stand-up collar, and her dark hair is gathered into a bun. The features are rendered in a generalised way: the nose and eyebrows with a single black outline, the eyes with black patches, the lips in bright burgundy. The greenish-grey background is enlivened with dark, almost black strokes and lilac highlights.

The portrait is painted in oil on canvas.