Raphael Soyer (American, 1899–1987) Portrait of a Young Woman, C. 1940s

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Raphael Soyer (American, 1899–1987)
Portrait of a Young Woman, c. 1940s
Oil on canvas - Signed lower left "Raphael Soyer"

… Read more Raphael Soyer (American, 1899–1987)
Portrait of a Young Woman, c. 1940s
Oil on canvas - Signed lower left "Raphael Soyer"

This intimate and introspective portrait by Raphael Soyer captures the sensitive physiognomy of a young woman rendered in subdued tones and expressive brushwork. Executed in oil on canvas, the composition is restrained, focusing solely on the sitter’s profile as she gazes pensively into shadow. Soyer’s palette leans toward a harmonized range of earthen browns and dusky blacks, heightening the sense of contemplative quietude that permeates the piece.

As a leading figure of American Social Realism, Soyer was deeply committed to portraying ordinary people with psychological depth and human dignity. His depictions, often of anonymous sitters, transcend simple likeness to become meditations on mood, solitude, and interior life. Here, the soft modeling of the young woman’s features and the painterly abstraction of the background suggest both a personal connection and a deliberate removal from narrative specificity.

Painted likely during the 1940s, a period when Soyer’s work leaned increasingly toward melancholy and atmospheric introspection, this portrait exemplifies the artist’s ability to convey subtle emotion through nuance and restraint. The unfinished quality of the edges and the gestural brushwork speak to his focus on immediacy and psychological presence over decorative finish.



Measures:

19.75" w x 23.75" h. See less