Name: Franklin Kelly

Occupation: Deputy Director and Chief Curator, National Gallery of Art

Residence: Dupont Circle area

Why I love this piece: I love the way it’s painted.  Stuart is incredibly good at getting a sense of likeness and vitality, but then also doing these flourishes of paint that are, in themselves, beautiful. She’s wearing an elaborate headdress, and at the back of that, there’s a kind of highlight of light on the fabric; almost a U-shape. It’s just a simple stroke of paint, laying there on the surface, but incredibly sure and almost poetic.  It’s so beautiful.  The same thing is true with that wonderful gesture of her little finger pulling that thread she’s holding.  It’s a perfect little touch.