Artwork
Young Woman Reading
Young Woman Reading is a print by the Impressionist artist Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1991.228
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
About this work
Overview
Young Woman Reading is a print by primarily medal sculptor Jean Charpentier, deviating from his usual medium to explore everyday life themes in a two-dimensional format.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a young woman in profile, engrossed in reading, emphasizing serene, intimate moments of daily life.
Technique & Style
Charpentier employed embossing, a rare technique in printmaking at the time, to achieve three-dimensionality. This method, inspired by Japanese woodcuts popular in late 19th-century Paris, added texture and relief to the woman's hair, dress, and the adjacent vase of flowers, with raised ink lines creating a soft, tactile effect.
History & Provenance
Created in the late 19th century, the work reflects Parisian artistic influences of the time, including the impact of Japanese woodblock prints on European techniques.
Context
While primarily a sculptor of medals, Charpentier's experimentation with embossing in 'Young Woman Reading' highlights a cross-disciplinary approach, blending sculptural techniques with printmaking to innovate the medium.
Legacy
The piece demonstrates early experimentation with embossing in printmaking, contributing to the evolution of textural techniques in early 20th-century art practices.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier
Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (1856–1909) was an artist, born in Paris.
