Painting
Original title: Painting
kurzbeschreibung
A woman sits painting in a studio, children and assorted equipment gathered around her. This sheet by Marie Madeleine Igonet dates from 1752 and was made as an etching with engraving. It measures 36.4 x 24.5 cm.
Description
A small group has assembled inside a room. At the front a woman works at a painting while one child watches her; a second stands to the side, looking up at her. Behind her, another figure turns toward the picture. Buckets, books, a jug and a basket fill the space, and a bowl of fruit hangs from the ceiling.
Context
Igonet, a Frenchwoman of the eighteenth century, was known above all for reproductive prints. This sheet appeared in 1752, when prints were helping art travel further than ever. What appears here is likely an allegorical or genre-like scene that takes artistic work itself as its subject.
Impact
Delicate strokes and the absence of colour give the print a quiet, intimate mood. Look closely and you can wander through the studio, detail by detail.
Technique
Etching with additional engraving brings out the fine strokes and the graded shading. At 36.4 x 24.5 cm it is a handy sheet, the size usual for graphic work.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)