Berthe Morisot’s painting, Le Berceau, is a renowned piece of work from the Impressionism movement that depicts the tender bond between a mother and her child. The painting was created in Paris in 1872 and features Morisot’s sister Edma watching over her sleeping daughter, Blanche. This famous artwork is considered an icon for female artists because it portrays motherhood through the eyes of a woman.
Morisot was one of “les trois grandes dames” of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt. She was born into a well-to-do bourgeois family with natural talent for painting that was encouraged by her mother. Her marriage to Eugene Manet, brother of colleague and friend Edouard Manet only strengthened her commitment to art.
Le Berceau revolutionized the portrayal of motherhood in art as it depicted not only care-giving but also introspection on maternal feelings. The scene shows Edma as she gazes lovingly at her child while cradling her arms over Blanche; the paint showing effortless rendering through fleeting strokes forms ethereal movements across canvas like ripples in water.
Today, Le Berceau remains an influential masterpiece displayed at Musée d’Orsay in Paris that highlights maternal emotion from an innovative perspective – an incredible depiction by one of impressionism’s most notable figures.
