Julie Writing 1884

Editor: This is Berthe Morisot’s "Julie Writing," from 1884, a pastel and colored pencil drawing. It's really intimate. You can see the mark making and the way the colors bleed into each other. How do you approach understanding this piece? Curator: Looking at "Julie Writing," I'm immediately drawn to Morisot's deliberate use of pastel and colored pencil. Consider the implications: mass-produced, readily available materials transforming an intimate domestic scene into a work worthy of display. It challenges the traditional hierarchy between 'high' art forms like oil painting and everyday materials. What does the choice of materials suggest to you about Morisot’s intentions regarding the domestic labor associated with women at this time? Editor: That's interesting. So you're saying the choice of a "lesser" medium highlights domesticity, maybe even elevates it? I hadn’t thought of it that way, I was just thinking about her fleeting impression of the figure. Curator: Exactly! And consider the labor involved: the pressure and blend of pigments by hand to create the image. This physical act connects Morisot directly to the artistic process and, arguably, to the subject of the piece herself in her own form of labor. Look at the hatching marks she made - almost as if knitting together! In what ways can we understand her mark making as an enactment or embrace of the kinds of “feminine” making in her cultural environment? Editor: I can see how the visible process connects the art to its production in a way that a smoother painting might not. It makes me consider what was important to Morisot in portraying Julie - not just how she looked, but what her daily life entailed. Curator: Precisely. By focusing on material and process, we can re-evaluate Impressionism, not merely as a representation of light and leisure, but as a reflection on labor, materials, and the societal roles connected with making in a modernizing world. Editor: That’s a great way to contextualize it. Thanks for expanding how I see the piece!