Young woman crocheting

Painted by Giovanni Boldini in 1875, this oil on canvas presents a seemingly simple domestic scene. A fair-haired young woman sits comfortably on a sofa, crocheting, while a small boy plays with a sword on a rumpled rug over the parquet floor. The woman is Berthe, the artist's frequent model and muse, who appears in many of his paintings from these years in very different situations. Although the disorder looks accidental, the scene was almost certainly staged in the studio, where Boldini arranged the space to convey an impression of spontaneity. The picture also shows his skill with textures: the cushions, the rug, the pink satin of Berthe's shoes, the cello lying casually on the floor and the coat draped over a chair. When it was sold in New York in 1893 it was given the title Quiet Days, a name that suits its gentle mood. Scenes like this helped spread an image of a peaceful, harmonious French society, far from the memory of the Paris Commune.

Painter

Giovanni Boldini

Date

1875

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

36 × 27 cm

Museum

Clark Art Institute, Massachusetts

Genre

genre art

Share:FacebookWhatsApp