“An Egyptian Girl” is an exquisite example of Müller’s sensitive bust (or three-quarter-length) portraits he made of different ethnic types. In this painting of a young woman shown from the chest up, Müller limits his palette to ochre and brown tones, juxtaposing loose brushstrokes on the girl’s garments and a smooth matte finish on her face in order to intensify her solemn expression—a technique that goes back to the Spanish master Velasquez. Best known for his color and light effects, Müller enjoyed a successful career as an Orientalist painter and instructor at the Vienna Academy. He visited Egypt nine times between 1873 and 1886—earning him the nickname “Müller the Egyptian” from his students—where he captured the country’s everyday life and its people. He wrote his sisters in 1881, “Currently, I only wish to paint a picture which reproduces, even to some degree, the magic of this landscape. I wish you could see the picturesque brown and black Arabs, Nubians, Biscahris, and Barabas gathering in the streets in colorful crowds.”
Ein ägyptisches Mädchen (An Egyptian Girl) by Leopold Carl Müller (Austrian) - Oil on canvas / 1892 - Dahesh Museum of Art (New York) #womeninart #LeopoldCarlMüller #art #artwork #portrait #LeopoldCarlMuller #daheshmuseumofart #womensart #portraitofawoman #daheshmuseum #painting #austrian #fineart
