The artwork “Young Girl on a Sofa (Mariaska)” by Marc Chagall, dated 1907, is an early 20th-century oil on canvas painting that encapsulates the expressionist movement during its formative years. Originating from Liozna, near Vitebsk, Belarus, this portrait has a size of 72 x 92.5 cm and is privately owned.
The painting portrays a young girl seated on a sofa, which dominates the composition. Dressed in a dark outfit that contrasts with her pale skin, the girl’s posture is relaxed yet somewhat introspective. She wears a large, dark hat, the broad brim of which casts shadow on her face, adding to the aura of meditation or stillness surrounding her. A red flower, held gently in her hand, adds a touch of color and could symbolize youth or beauty in an otherwise somber palette. The backdrop and the sofa are rendered in lush, warm reds and browns, with hints of foliage or floral patterns that create a sense of comfortable domesticity, perhaps suggestive of her home environment. The loose, painterly brushstrokes imbue the artwork with a sense of emotional depth characteristic of Expressionism, where the artist’s subjective experience and emotions are emphasized over realistic representation.
