Artwork
Woman Reading (Liseuse)
Woman Reading (Liseuse) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Woman Reading (Liseuse) is a print created by Edgar Degas around 1885 using the monotype technique in black ink on cream laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a woman seated in a chair, her body curled up and head bent forward, suggesting she is reading. The dark, shadowy scene emphasizes the intimacy and quiet of the moment.
Technique & Style
The monotype technique, involving direct application of ink to a plate, yields a rough, smudgy effect, giving the scene a spontaneous, sketch-like quality. The use of black ink on cream paper creates a high-contrast image with deep shadows.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
Woman by a Fireplace
Passage d'une Ame (Passage of a Spirit)
The Murder (Le Meurtre)
A Nude Woman in a Fur Wrap
Akt mit hochgehobenem Hemd (Woman Undressing)
Après le Bain II (After the Bath II)
After the Bath: Woman Drying Herself
Nude Woman Standing, Drying Herself (Femme nue debout, a sa toilette)
Modellstudie (Study of a Model)
The Feathered Turban (Le turban à aigrette)
The Feathered Turban (Le turban à aigrette)
Misery (La Misère)