Painted in 1983, this portrait shows Nicaraguan artist June Beer’s hallmark directness with a frontal pose that refuses to make the unidentified sitter decorative. A Black girl is shown from the chest up, centered and facing us directly. Her skin is painted in deep brown and warm olive tones, with soft shading along the cheeks, nose, and neck. She has large, brown almond eyes with dark lids and fine lashes. Her gaze is steady and quiet, neither smiling nor frowning. Her brows are lightly arched, and her mouth is closed in a calm, neutral line. Her hair is gathered into a smooth, rounded updo that fills much of the upper canvas and is parted by a thin line just off-center. On either side of her head, two oversized bows sit behind her ears: pale pink with brighter magenta folds and textured like wool or felt. She wears a light yellow dress with a wide, scalloped collar that curves over her shoulders and chest. Down the center runs a dotted turquoise pattern, and the bodice is sprinkled with tiny turquoise marks, like embroidery or beading. The background is a clean gradient of teal to cobalt blue, making her silhouette and the bows glow. The figure is outlined with dark contours, giving the portrait a poster-like clarity, and the paint surface shows gentle speckling and grain that suggests age. The girl’s composure is quiet, but unyielding self-possession. The pink bows and cool sea-blues recall the Caribbean coast world Beer knew in the port city of Bluefields, Nicaragua, while the turquoise “stitch” down the dress hints at care, craft, and the dignity of everyday making. In the early revolutionary era, Beer, a self-taught painter and poet, used portraiture to center Black Caribbean communities and women. Shown posthumously in Homenaje a June Beer at the X Bienal de Nicaragua (Palacio Nacional de Cultura, Managua), this work is now in the Miguel D’Escoto collection.
"Niña con Lazo de Lana rosado (Girl with Pink Wool Bow)" by June Beer (Nicaraguan) - Oil on canvas / 1983 - X Bienal de Nicaragua, Palacio Nacional de Cultura (Managua) #WomenInArt #JuneBeer #Beer #PalacioNacionalDeCultura #arte #artText #PortraitofaGirl #WomensArt #WomenArtists #WomenPaintingWomen
