The artwork “Le berceau” by Berthe Morisot, created in 1872, is an oil on canvas painting representative of the Impressionist movement. The piece measures 46 x 56 cm and falls under the genre “scène de genre”, which portrays scenes from everyday life. It is currently housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with an intimate domestic moment. It features a woman, dressed in a dark attire with a white collar, gazing tenderly at an infant resting in a white, gauzy cradle. The baby is swathed in soft bedding, and both figures are enveloped in diaphanous drapery, which is enhanced by the play of light and shadow characteristic of Impressionism. The background is subdued, allowing the focus to remain on the figures, while the brushwork is loose and fluid, conveying the spontaneity and fleeting moments that the Impressionists endeavored to capture in their work. The emotional warmth of the scene is palpable and evocative of the bond between mother and child.
