La Femme

A yellow flower rests in a woman’s hand beneath a dark hat heaped with blossoms. Jean-Claude Legagneur is a central painter of Haiti’s School of Beauty, known for his paintings of Haitian women. Here, the single bloom gives the elaborate arrangement a smaller companion. The eye moves between the two, finding the pleasure of abundance alongside a quieter, simpler gesture.

A sheer veil falls over the outward-facing eyes. A white blouse gathers at the neckline, with a black ribbon tied at the throat. Cool blue-green fills the background; the signature appears at the upper right.