I saw this lovely painting at the Louvre, and was struck by the pose and detail of her hair. The painting is titled “Young Woman Combing Her Hair” done in 1635. Salomon de Bray’s skills at observation are evident as is the lighting which seems oddly fresh and vibrant for a Dutch painter. De Bray's artistic development is not well documented. In 1635 he seemed to favor half-length figures, which at that time had become rather old-fashioned. By about 1640, his work showed the influence of Rembrandt van Rijn's “chiaroscuro”. The term chiaroscuro refers to a strong, self-conscious juxtaposition of light and shade which results in a stunning visual effect in a work of art. The technique was initially pioneered by Leonardo da Vinci, further developed by Caravaggio, and finally perfected by Rembrandt. I still maintain that the painting above is a masterpiece and despite the genius of Rembrandt, the above representation is very modern.

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