Boats on the Seine 1880

Editor: This is Berthe Morisot’s "Boats on the Seine", painted around 1880, with oil paint. It has a really serene, almost hazy quality to it. What strikes you most about this particular work? Curator: The "hazy quality" you observe is precisely what's so potent here. Morisot, working within but also against the Impressionist grain, uses the fleeting image not just to capture light, but also to suggest the ephemeral nature of women's roles in 19th century French society. What is depicted versus what is omitted speaks volumes about who was given permission to be seen, and where, during that time. Do you think the composition contributes to that impression? Editor: That's a fascinating point! The loose brushstrokes definitely make it feel unfinished, like a moment in passing. I hadn't considered how that might reflect on the representation of women in that era. The fact that this is “Plein-Air”, meaning ‘open air’, reminds me of the limited locations in which women were welcome or allowed to express themselves. I'm starting to see the art as a statement. Curator: Precisely. And where are the women, besides the artist herself, in the artwork? We see signs of bourgeois life in the buildings, in the boats—leisure, commerce—yet their human presence feels somewhat… absent. Morisot isn't merely painting a scene, she's subtly commenting on the restricted sphere women inhabited and how that affected how they, and the world, perceived and continues to perceive themselves. Does this make you view other works by Impressionists differently now? Editor: Definitely. It encourages me to look beyond the surface and think critically about whose perspective is being represented and whose is being left out. Thank you for opening my eyes to that layer of meaning. Curator: My pleasure. Art is rarely just what it seems; it's a conversation, an argument, a mirror reflecting societal power dynamics and human nature.