Stanley Cosgrove was a Canadian artist known for his contributions to modernist painting in Quebec. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal and later in New York and Mexico, Cosgrove was influenced by both academic traditions and modernist developments. He worked briefly as an assistant to Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco, which had a lasting impact on his sense of form and structure. Though Cosgrove is often associated with landscape and still life, portraiture was a recurring part of his practice. His portraits typically have muted tones, and a stylized treatment of the human figure. Portrait of a Woman reflects this approach, presenting the woman with minimal detail, which was typical of his mid-career style.