Artwork
Laundry
Laundry is an oil painting by the Realist artist Joaquín Agrasot y Juan. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
The painting showcases the everyday life of a woman doing her laundry, highlighting the mundane tasks that people undertook in the past.
The painting "Laundry" by Joaquín Agrasot y Juan, created in 1864, depicts a woman hanging laundry on a fence. She is dressed in a white shirt, a red skirt, and a blue apron, with a red hat on her head. The woman is standing in front of a wooden fence, with trees visible in the background. A rooster is also present in the scene.
The painting showcases the everyday life of a woman doing her laundry, highlighting the mundane tasks that people undertook in the past. The use of oil paint and the attention to detail in the woman's clothing and the surroundings suggest a focus on realism.
To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects and figures, explore the work of Joaquín Agrasot y Juan.
Overview
Created in 1864, *Laundry* is an oil painting by Spanish artist Joaquín Agrasot y Juan. The work belongs to the Realist tradition and is part of the Museo del Prado’s holdings. It portrays a moment of ordinary domestic activity, offering a clear view of 19th‑century everyday life.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a solitary woman arranging washed garments on a fence. She wears a white shirt, a red skirt, a blue apron and a red hat, while a rooster perches nearby. The scene emphasizes the routine labor of laundry, reflecting the social reality of women’s work in rural Spain.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting displays careful modeling of forms and a restrained palette typical of Realist practice. Light falls across the figure and the surrounding foliage, creating subtle contrasts that enhance the three‑dimensionality of the clothing and the texture of the fence.
History & Provenance
Since its completion, *Laundry* has remained in Spain, eventually entering the collection of the Museo del Prado. The museum acquired the piece as part of its effort to represent 19th‑century Spanish genre painting, preserving Agrasot’s contribution to the period’s visual record.
Context
Agrasot worked within the Costumbrista current, which documented regional customs and daily scenes. *Laundry* aligns with this focus, illustrating a typical household chore and situating it within a modest rural landscape, thereby contributing to the broader narrative of Spanish social history.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Joaquín Agrasot y Juan (24 December 1836 – 8 January 1919) was a Spanish painter of the Realistic style who produced many works in the Costumbrismo genre.
