Rigorously and attentively worked Girl in a Green Dress (The Beret) is an early demonstration of the exacting nature of Euan Uglow's eye which would underpin much of his output for the next 50 years. Executed whilst Uglow was a student at the Slade School of Art, it retains elements from the teachings of his Camberwell instructors William Coldstream and Claude Rogers.
The work was painted in the Slades's life drawing rooms and is recorded as the first portrait Uglow made after arriving there in October 1951. Uglow excelled at and relished these classes (when not being disrupted by fellow student Lucian Freud who, to Uglow's annoyance, had a habit of causing the models to blush altering the tone of their cheeks). As was tradition, easel positions were determined by drawing straws. Uglow and fellow student Myles Murphy devised a method of cheating to ensure they always picked a prime location. Following a break, the group would rely on Uglow to verify the position of the model. The measured and controlled environment of the room, inherent in works such as the present lot and Standing Nude 1951-52, remain apparent in much of Uglows work right up to his final painting 'S' Picture, 2000.
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