Portrait of a Young Woman

Portrait of a Young Woman is a penetrating oil on canvas created by Edgar Degas sometime between 1880 and 1890. This intimate work belongs to the later period of Degas’s career, when the artist frequently turned his attention from the complex dynamism of ballet scenes to focused, singular depictions of women engaged in private contemplation. The portrait is rendered using the loose, dynamic brushwork characteristic of his Impressionist-era studies of Parisian life, but retains a classical firmness in the underlying structure of the sitter’s face.

The composition captures one of the many anonymous young women who populate Degas’s oeuvre, rendered with remarkable psychological depth. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Degas employed tightly cropped frames and dramatic, often unconventional lighting to emphasize the subject’s inner life rather than their external social environment. The restrained, earthy palette used in this piece highlights the volume and form of the figure, demonstrating the artist’s continuous dedication to the mastery of the human form long after he had established his reputation.

This canvas currently resides in the prestigious collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York City, where it serves as an important example of Degas's commitment to modern portraiture. The ability of the artist to merge the observational realism of early Impressionism with a profound sensitivity to individual psychology makes this painting a significant reference point for studies of the period. Furthermore, given its age and profound cultural relevance, the original artwork is widely considered to be in the public domain, allowing institutions and enthusiasts globally to access high-quality prints and reproductions for continued research and appreciation.