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Berthe Morisot The Cradle

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“The Cradle,” a painting from 1873, created by artist Berthe Morisot, portrays motherhood, the relationship between a mother and her child. Berthe Morisot was born on January 14, 1841, in Bourges, France, and died on March 2, 1895, at the age of 54, after contracting pneumonia. She was raised in an upper-class family. Her father, Edme Tiburce Morisot, was a high-ranking civil servant in the French government and had studied painting and architecture as a young man. Berthe Morisot’s grandfather was Jean-Honore Fragonard, also an artist, who had painted many aristocratic gardens. Art played a major role in Morisot’s life as she grew up. Morisot was best known as a French Impressionist painter. Berthe Morisot created “The Cradle,” an …show more content…

This stands out because of the lighter color, and the size given to the object. With the primary color being white, the artist mixed it in with golden-yellow to create an appearance of texture. Morisot used pastel colors for the cradle, cradle veil, window curtain, and the infant’s gown. She employed bolder colors for the woman’s dress, and the wall behind the cradle. The infant’s gown is a pure white color, representing its innocence. The woman’s blue dress, and the black band around her neck, are darker shades to contrast in color to the lighter colors used in the focal point of the artwork. Her dark-colored dress may symbolize her aging as a woman. She is not as young, pure, and innocent as she was in her youth. Her hair appears to be a little gray near her hairline, which is also another sign of aging. The cradle veil is a barrier from any outside harm, as the woman lovingly and adoringly gazes at the infant. This veil also puts a barrier between the viewer and the infant, and gives the feeling of protection and privacy in their shared …show more content…

The viewer can see and feel the bond between the mother and the child. I also think the artwork is beautiful and makes a deep impression on the viewer, because of the innocence and peaceful appearance of the infant. The woman has such an intense gaze with the way she is looking at the infant; it gives each viewer an opportunity to interpret it in their own way, concern or admiration, all part of motherhood. The woman’s body language is intriguing because she is replicating the infant’s arm position, maybe to find her own peace. In my search, I discovered that Berthe Morisot was a famous female artist in the 19th century, and in making a choice, this piece of art quickly caught my

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