1861
oil
canvas
From the collection of Walters Art Museum
The Scarlet Letter is a 1861 oil by Hugues Merle, a Realism work, depicting Breastfeeding, held at Walters Art Museum.
This painting depicts a woman in a dark dress with a red shawl, sitting and holding a baby. The woman's dark hair is visible under the shawl, and she looks down at the baby with a serious expression. The baby, dressed in a white cloth, is breastfeeding. In the background, a faint landscape is visible, with a body of water and a few people standing on the shore. The overall mood of the painting is somber, with muted colors and a sense of quiet contemplation. To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and depth, explore the works of Hugues Merle.
Hugues Merle (1822–1881) was a French painter who mostly depicted sentimental or moral subjects. He has often been compared to William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
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