Realistic Chic

Admittedly, I must be somewhat obsessive compulsive. About two months ago, I posted some images of my long-weekend trip to Victoria and the cool finds at the local flea market. After a comment about how beautiful the painting of a girl in a yellow dress was, I realized I had been a fool; the painting was stunning and I had overlooked it. It was so lovely and I had merely taken a picture instead of inquiring as to its cost. I hate it when I pass up something like that.
 Anyhow, since my sister lives in Victoria, she's graciously offered to go back there every week in search of said painting and find out the asking price. Many of the works of art at the flea market were $5 or around there, so I had hoped to procure the yellow dress girl for a trifle. Sadly, it hasn't been seen since my visit...

...until now! I used my cunning detective skills (i.e. I googled "girl reading in yellow dress painting") et voila! It is called A Young Girl Reading, by Jean-Honore Fragonard, and was painted in 1776. It's now on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Fragonard was a French painter whose work, funnily enough, I've studied before (I wrote a short comparative essay on this famous painting). His Rococo style is iconic to the era, and I can't believe I didn't remember or recognize that the yellow dress girl belonged to him. One day I'll have a beautiful canvas print of this. Until then, I have good ol' jpg.