Morisot's painting captures a red-haired lady sitting upright at the center of the frame, looking out to the viewer in a lavender dress and shawl. She sits by a table with remnants of fruits and a glass pitcher. Behind her are clear windows with a luxurious view of full bloom gardens with white, pink, and red flowers. The flowers match the pale pink flowers on the straw hat of Morisot's model, Marie. The artist utilizes the blue hues of the indoor architecture to match the feathering blue and purple hues of the model's dress while the windows cut through the background to incorporate natural greens, reds, blues, and whites. The overall composition uses thick, chaotic, heavy brushstrokes to capture the essence of a single moment in time. The scene takes place in the summer home conservatory in the Paris suburb of Bougival, a house that Morisot and her husband, Eugene Mante, rented for several years in the summer.
SKU: 52424
Creator: Berthe Morisot
Date: 1881
Original Medium: oil on canvas
Location: Private collection