Alt Art Appraisal

Mid-Century Impressionist Portrait of a Woman by J. Alt

This is an original oil on canvas painting depicting a three-quarter profile portrait of a woman with blonde, wavy hair. The artwork is characterized by an Impressionistic style with visible, expressive brushstrokes that give the subject a sense of texture and life. The palette utilizes warm flesh tones contrasted against a cool, mottled teal and green background. The subject is dressed in a dark blue or purple garment with prominent white buttons or lace detailing at the neckline. The piece is signed 'J. Alt' in the lower right corner, executed in a dark, fluid script. The painting is housed in a decorative, gilded wood frame featuring a textured cross-hatch or wheat-ear pattern along the moulding, which suggests a mid-20th-century aesthetic. Physically, the canvas is mounted on a wooden backing for stability. Notable condition observations include minor surface grime consistent with age and some slight thinning of the paint layers in the darker passages of the clothing. The frame shows some light wear and minor gilt loss at the corners, but generally remains in good structural condition. The overall craftsmanship reflects a skilled hand, particularly in the structural modeling of the face and the play of light across the hair, likely dating from the 1940s to 1960s.