Description
Berthe Morisot’s Reading brings a seated woman into the brightness of an outdoor setting. Her white gown contrasts with the grass, while a dark, green-toned brimmed hat gives her bowed head a distinct outline. A book rests low in her lap, directing attention to a quiet activity within the loosely painted landscape. The figure’s stillness answers the lively brushwork around her.
Painted in 1873 in oil on fabric, the picture depicts Morisot’s sister Edma, as identified by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The relationship gives the scene the familiarity of a closely observed moment rather than a distant public portrait. Reading becomes both an individual act and a way of inhabiting the landscape, with the figure’s stillness answering the changing passages of color around her.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Berthe Morisot collection.
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