Young Woman in a White Blouse (Jeune femme à la blouse blanche), c.1923 (oil on...

This poignant portrait illustrates Soutine's remarkable ability to capture the psychological life of his sitters. The woman's twisted features seem to suggest vulnerability, insecurity and perhaps disappointment, rather than youthful promise or beauty. The combination of her almost generic anonymity with the sense of individual experience may perhaps be interpreted as expressive of modern urban life. Soutine's instinctive use of paint heightens the presence and emotional impact of the work. Soutine lived much of his life in poverty, however his fortunes changed in 1923 when the American collector Albert Barnes began buying his paintings in large numbers.