Composition

Red and Pink: La Petite Mephisto, Freer Gallery of Art

Note in Red: The Siesta, Terra Foundation for American Art

The chaise longue is probably the same as that seen in Red and Pink: La Petite Mephisto [YMSM 255] and Note in Red: The Siesta [YMSM 254]. They share a similar fiery colour scheme, and form a striking group of studies in red.

Technique

Arrangement in Pink, Red and Purple, Cincinnati Art Museum

It was painted boldly on a grey primed panel, and, considering the size of the panel, the brushes used were rather large, 5 mm (3/16") wide, on the luminous lilac dress, and 10 mm (5/16") on the deep blue curtain in the back-ground. There are signs of alterations under the chaise longue, on the right, and a series of brushstrokes following the changing outlines of the figure. Altogether there are a wide variety of brushstrokes, applying the thin paint in small blobs and dots, short dashes, broader slashes, and fluid, expressive lines.

Conservation History

Arrangement in Pink, Red and Purple, photograph, 1980

Unknown. There seems to have been some rubbing and paint loss at the edges, probably from an earlier frame.