Lady in Spotted Dress with Red Ribbons

This picture of a lady in a spotted dress illustrates the artist’s concept of a portrait which avoids artificiality and coquetry and instead focuses on naturalness and emotion. The different parts and colours are distinctly separated from one other, creating great clarity. In this respect Dubois’ portrait resembles the works of his contemporary Augustin, which may have inspired him in the choice of the lady’s posture with an elbow resting on a support, and the park scenery (cf. cat. no. 2005-5). Seated in a park and left alone with her thoughts, the lady is thinking of a beloved person: the addressee. The artist used clear symbols to illustrate her emotions: The pansy(French: pensée = thought) expresses intimacy, the roses on the right symbolise love, and the plinth on the left points to the seriousness and reliability of the sitter’s feelings.
B. P.