A Young Woman Washing Her Feet at the Edge of a Stream
Original title: A Young Woman Washing Her Feet at the Edge of a Stream
kurzbeschreibung
Camille Pissarro made this monotype around 1894–95. It portrays a woman seated on the bank of a stream, washing her feet. The image was printed on wove paper.
Description
A seated woman by the water's edge, her dress pulled up to her knees. Leaning forward, she cleans her feet with a cloth. Dark, blocky strokes suggest the natural surroundings. The water in the foreground is rendered in soft shades that hint at reflections of light. Predominantly gray tones define the palette, creating a quiet, subdued atmosphere.
Context
This monotype belongs to a period when Pissarro turned increasingly to printmaking. During the 1890s he experimented with various print techniques, including monotype. The motif of a woman tending to her body by the water draws on a rural, everyday subject that recurs throughout his oeuvre. The work was likely made in Éragny, where the artist had lived since 1884.
Impact
The limited gray palette and soft contours give the scene an intimate, still mood. The spare imagery directs attention to the woman's concentrated action and the calm surface of the water.
Technique
A monotype on wove paper, in which the image is transferred from a smooth plate to the paper. The irregular, fluid strokes reveal the characteristic texture of this technique. The plate measures 12.7 x 17.6 cm, the sheet 15.3 x 20.4 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)