Maurice Jean Lefebvre often chose to paint strong female figures and always tried to communicate a heightened sense of the subject’s character. Throughout his career, his style adapted to suit the current trends, but he generally retained a deeper level of expression.

For example, during the 1910s, he dabbled with a movement known as Fauvism, where colours were exaggerated to bring further meaning to a subject. Whereas during the 1920s, he adopted a softer, more impressionistic, approach that could be compared to a late Renoir.

Lefebvre was born in Belgium in 1873 and his works are held in private and public collections within Europe and beyond.