Isidre Nonell’s work is fundamentally characterized by the sadness and melancholy of his figures of male and female gypsies, veterans returning from the Cuban War, and solemn beggars on the streets of Barcelona in the early 20^th century painted in dark—almost black—hues.

This drawing belongs to a new more luminous period that begun in 1906 and is depicted in an Expressionist style in watercolor, allowing the artist to obtain a subtle transparent effect. The dramatic nature of his portraits of gypsy women gave way to a sense of serene melancholy manifested in the calmness of her pensive face, her fragile arms, and her left foot which is subtly pointing to the ground.

Being a creation by Nonell—an illustrator and satirical draftsman—, the absence of a motif rules out the possibility of this work being intended for the press. It was most likely a preparatory sketch for an unrealized painting.