Artwork
Woman Reading
Woman Reading is an oil painting by the Realist artist Boris Grigoriev. It dates from 1922 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Boris Grigoriev's 1922 painting depicts a woman engaged in reading, holding a book as her central activity.
Boris Grigoriev's 1922 painting depicts a woman engaged in reading, holding a book as her central activity. The subject matter centers on an intimate, everyday moment of female literacy and private contemplation. As an oil painting from the early 1920s, it captures a quiet, interior scene without overt narrative drama.
The iconography is straightforward: the book and the act of reading serve as the primary visual focus, suggesting themes of intellectual engagement, education, or solitary reflection. While the specific identity of the woman remains unstated in the available sources, the work's title and depiction emphasize the universal significance of reading as a personal, absorptive experience.
Technique & Style
Boris Grigoriev executed Woman Reading in 1922 using oil paint on a canvas support. The painting measures 54 by 65.1 centimeters. Stylistically, the artwork is a figurative composition that depicts a woman engaged in the act of reading a book.
History & Provenance
Woman Reading is an oil on canvas painting executed in 1922 by Russian artist Boris Grigoriev. The work depicts a seated woman engrossed in a book. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view.
No record of a specific commission survives. The dimensions of the canvas are 54 cm by 65.1 cm. No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Boris Grigoriev's 1922 oil painting, Woman Reading, depicts a solitary figure absorbed in a book. This work, characteristic of the realism movement, is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Grigoriev, a Russian artist known for his diverse practice spanning painting, graphic arts, and writing, created this piece during a significant period in his career. The painting offers a quiet moment of contemplation.
Context
Created in 1922, Woman Reading aligns with the broader realism movement, which emphasized depicting subjects truthfully and without artificiality. Boris Grigoriev, a Russian artist, was active across various artistic disciplines, including painting and graphic arts. His work often captured human figures with a directness that characterized this artistic approach, focusing on the individual's presence and inner world. This painting exemplifies his engagement with such themes.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Boris Grigoriev (Russian: Бори́с Дми́триевич Григо́рьев; 11 July 1886 – 7 February 1939) was a painter, graphic artist, and writer.
