Dans un Bateau (In a Boat) 1907

Curator: So here we have Lilla Cabot Perry's "Dans un Bateau," painted in 1907. It's an oil painting, capturing a woman in a boat, clearly painted en plein air, judging by the brushstrokes. Editor: Oh, it feels so dreamlike, almost like looking through a heat haze. The color palette is subdued, watery, yet her gaze is direct and a little unsettling, isn't it? Curator: Yes, it's interesting. Perry, although American, spent considerable time in France and was deeply influenced by Impressionism, and, of course, by her close friendship with Monet himself. One wonders, looking at it, who she might be and what role her gender might have in the way we consider this work today. Editor: The fact that she's both subject and active rower complicates it further. Women at that time were more usually seen passively on the water or merely watching, no? Here, there’s an agency, she’s guiding the vessel and meets our eyes directly. She appears both stylish in dress, but in a working mode, too, as well as subtly defiant and questioning. I adore the bold choice of that block blue skirt, the focal point, it adds balance with the detail in the ripples on the water, really showing the skill in depicting reflected light that all Impressionists sort of aspire to, the momentary glimpse! Curator: Precisely! Think about the social dynamics at play. Was this work intended to challenge conventional expectations? The composition has echoes of Whistler's portraits, too, but somehow lacks that sort of staged performance element we find in many portraits of women, even within Impressionism. Editor: Absolutely, one does have a sense that she doesn't care at all if one approves or not of her place, posture or dress, she is just here. Looking closely, those dappled reflections—she’s managed to nail that fleeting moment where light and water play off each other so brilliantly. It has real magic! The water, that moment, feels fleeting. Curator: It's a fascinating interplay between intimacy and observation. The title itself – so simple, "In a Boat." Is it just a depiction, or is she implying a journey of sorts, both literally and perhaps metaphorically, towards the turn of the century, in which she painted this? Editor: Hmmm...Well, I think Perry pulls off that most difficult feat for a portrait artist: managing to catch something beyond the material; more like something of the intangible, really. She’s a reminder, really, to never be predictable or polite!