Stefan Adler · No. 172

Girl with a Ribbon

Girl with a Ribbon is the most tender work in the series. Stefan Adler paints a young girl, a simple ribbon in her hair, seated against a plain warm ground in the elongated, mask-like manner Modigliani made his own — the long neck, the oval tilted head, the almond eyes soft and almost pupil-less. There is great gentleness in the handling: the line is slow and certain, the palette warm and muted, ochre skin against a soft neutral surround, and the girl's expression one of quiet, slightly solemn composure beyond her years. Adler works in the School of Paris tradition, where simplification is not crudeness but refinement, every unnecessary detail stripped away until only grace remains. The famous device of the blank almond eye lends the child a curious gravity, as though she were already keeping secrets. Delicate, dignified and instantly recognisable, it turns a simple portrait of a girl into something timeless and a little wistful. It is innocence rendered with elegance and restraint, a small, serious presence holding the centre of the canvas with quiet authority.

An original oil painting on canvas by Stefan Adler, painted to order — never a reproduction. Elongated, mask-like portraits with long necks, almond eyes and warm earthen colour — School of Paris elegance in the spirit of Modigliani.

Artist

Stefan Adler

Medium

Oil on canvas

Finish

Unframed, ready to hang or frame

Made

To order, by hand