Artwork
A Girl Asleep on a Sofa
A Girl Asleep on a Sofa is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Jacob Maris. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, *A Girl Asleep on a Sofa* is an oil painting by Dutch artist Jacob Maris. The work belongs to the collection of Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It presents a quiet domestic scene rendered with the loose handling and tonal sensitivity typical of the late‑19th‑century Hague School.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a young woman in a white dress, curled up on a sofa with her head on a pillow and her right hand resting on her abdomen. The subdued pose and the muted lighting suggest a moment of private repose, inviting the viewer to contemplate the intimacy of everyday life.
Technique & Style
Maris employs a palette that contrasts the luminous dress with a darker surrounding wall, using soft, feathery brushstrokes for the fabric and more decisive, broader strokes for the sofa and background. This juxtaposition of delicate and robust handling creates a sense of depth while maintaining the impressionistic emphasis on atmosphere over detail.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the holdings of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, where it has remained on public display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s late‑19th‑century interest in Dutch realist and impressionist works, positioning Maris alongside his more widely known contemporaries.
Context
Jacob Maris, one of three painter brothers, was a central figure in the Hague School, a movement that blended realist observation with the softer tonalities of French Impressionism. While best known for landscapes, Maris applied the same atmospheric concerns to interior scenes, as demonstrated in this work’s focus on ordinary, unposed moments.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Henricus Maris (August 25, 1837 – August 7, 1899) was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters.
