The painting “Young Girl with Doll” was created by Berthe Morisot in 1884 and is an exemplar of the Impressionist movement. Utilizing oil on canvas, Morisot crafted a genre painting that resides in a private collection. The characteristics distinctive to Impressionism are evident in the artwork’s loose brushwork and the capturing of light and its effect on surfaces.
The artwork depicts a young girl holding a doll. She appears to be seated in a patterned armchair, gazing off to the side, which suggests a moment of distraction or daydreaming. Her expression is soft and focused, giving a sense of quiet contemplation. The figure is painted with a light touch and the colors are predominantly soft and muted, with pastel tones that reinforce the gentle ambiance. The young girl’s attire is detailed, with the texture of her clothes and the folds of the fabric carefully rendered.
Light plays a critical role in this painting, as seen by the highlighted areas on the girl’s hair and face, which contrast effectively with the shadowed parts of her figure. The background behind the girl is rendered with brisk, impressionistic strokes, providing a sense of the setting without specific details, inviting the viewer to focus on the figure and her immediate surroundings. The pot on the left side of the painting has a blue design, with the brush strokes capturing the reflective qualities of the ceramic material.
Overall, the painting emanates a serene and intimate feeling, characteristic of Morisot’s work and the Impressionist focus on capturing everyday life with a sense of immediacy and the fluidity of light and shadow.
