Study of a Girl

Study of a Girl (1955) and Portrait of an Adolescent (1955)

Both drawings sensitively capture the young subjects as if caught unexpected mid-thought. These drawings were produced in the same year that Cynthia Pell stayed in a farmhouse in Provenance, France, with a group of five others, including her recently-wed husband Ron Weldon. During this time, she produced many drawings and paintings of local peasants and gypsies, as described by fellow artist Evelyn Williams (1999): ‘These peasants were the people Cynthia drew and painted. They seemed pleased to sit for her – she treated them with great consideration and charmed them with her friendly approach.’