Artwork
The Reader (Le liseur)
The Reader (Le liseur) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Edouard Manet. It dates from 1861 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Reader (Le liseur) is an etching created by Edouard Manet in 1861.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a woman in profile, engrossed in reading a book. She wears a dark dress with a white collar, and soft light falls on her shoulders.
Technique & Style
Manet employed the drypoint technique, scratching lines into metal with a needle to achieve rough yet bold effects, indicating a deliberate and considered work rather than a quick sketch.
Artist & collection
Artist
Édouard Manet didn’t have much time to make his mark—he died at 51—but he used every year.
Archeologist (L'archeologue)
Man with a Penknife
Choirmaster (Le maitre de chapelle)
Copy of Student at a Table by Candelight
Account Book (Le livre de comptes)
Writer (L'ecrivain)
An Old Man Reading
A Philosopher
Old Woman Seated (La vieille femme assise)
Paralytic (Le paralytique)
Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol: the Smaller Plate
Le Liseur (The reader)