Woman at her Toilette

While right on the cusp of modernism my favorite style of painting or time period is that of the impressionist. True to the form, or really the theory of the form is Berthe Morisots’ ‘Woman at her Toilette’. Created in 1875 to 1880 by the French artist Berthe Morisot I believe that as a woman she was allowed into a very Sacrosanct place within victorian society. Morisot created a series that no male counterpart of her time could; that of high society women dressing for their public appearances.

Surrounded by other artists of her time at the Art Institute the color and tone Morisot used for this piece are almost dull by comparison. Yet with her selection of colors I believe Morisot creates the illusion of privacy, or creates  a sense of voyeurism that is true to how we would come to view this scene had we lived in this era.

Most striking I believe is the lack of detail in the formation of the subject and the world around her. From afar the darkest thing in the painting is the subjects necklace. Its a stark contrast to the whites, blues, purples, yellows  and muted browns in the painting. It is also the closest thing to a well defined line in the entire piece.

Up close a number of things draw the eye. While the shoulders and hair of the subject are quite well defined her face is not. From afar the shadows created by the brush strokes give more of an impression that the details of the face are there but upon closer inspection one realizes that the face is blank.  At that vantage point another interesting detail is the reflective and obviously layered earring that actually sticks out of the canvass. An interesting  feature that is only obvious up close and is even more noticeable if one looks at it from the side.  The subjects  necklace and earring are obviously important in establishing her societal status yet her face seems to be unimportant.  It’s almost as if Morisot believes all of these high society women are the same in a sense or is perhaps protecting her identity as sitting for a painting like  this would be quite risque at the time. Overall the beauty and importance of the pearl earring while not lost in reproduction the with the reflective nature of the earring and the dress is lost. The brush strokes used to create the dress give it a feeling of softness, the variation in the whites used seem to create the folds and the reflective whites give the impression that the dress is made of Satin or a soft reflective material.

Another detail thats stark contrast is lost in the reproduction of this piece is the artists signature  at the bottom of the mirror in a darker brown than that of the rest of the mirror. While one can see it in the reproductions I am not sure its clear how much darker her signature seems to be on the canvass. The museums description states that the name was placed there because Morisot identified with her subject and believed that like her the subject was creating art with her makeup.  The description bothered me a bit for reasons unknown to myself but why would Morisot include herself right in the middle of her work unless she related to her subject. Realistically I can’t come up with any other reason as to why she would have placed  her signature in such a central part of her work.

Also very important to the piece  is the yellow rose and vase on a table to the side of the subjected and reflected by the mirror. I believe that like the earring the rose is important because it lets the viewer know that the room is likely as beautiful as the subject.  The rose is defined through brush strokes much like the dresses folds  allowing for a symbolic interpretation that the woman’s beauty or at the very least her dress is like that of the rose.

Overall the viewer has no choice but to be drawn to the subject or the objects on the table alongside her, as the space to her right is completely undefined. Morisot creates the impression of a doorway with the direction of her strokes but really the space to the right of the subject is completely empty. Morisots also limits the reflective power of the mirror by cutting off  and limiting the reflection thus ensuring a limited view of the room and subject. Overall I love this painting because it makes me feel as if I was allowed into a part of victorian society that was not normally discussed or made public. It also lacks enough detail to let one imagine who this woman is and where she was off to that night.