Artwork
The Letter
The Letter is an oil painting by the Realist artist Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The title itself directs the viewer's interpretation toward the act of communication and the emotional weight carried within the unseen message.
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot's 1865 painting, The Letter, depicts a solitary woman as its central figure. The work focuses on the subject of a female figure, consistent with Corot's interest in intimate, quiet moments of daily life. While the specific contents of the correspondence remain unseen, the composition isolates the woman to emphasize the personal and reflective nature of reading a private letter.
The title itself directs the viewer's interpretation toward the act of communication and the emotional weight carried within the unseen message.
Technique & Style
The work is painted in oil on canvas, a medium Corot used throughout his career, with dimensions of 54.6 × 36.2 cm. The handling is fluid and atmospheric, characteristic of his late style, where delicate glazes and soft transitions create a muted, luminous effect. Compositionally, the scene is framed by a window or balcony, with a seated woman turned in quiet contemplation, her features rendered with restrained detail against a blurred, outdoor setting. The technique emphasizes tonal harmony over linear precision, aligning with Corot’s approach to landscape-infused figure painting in the 1860s.
History & Provenance
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot created the oil painting The Letter in 1865. The work depicts a woman and is executed on canvas, measuring 54.6 cm in height and 36.2 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting was included in the exhibition history titled Corot 1796-1875.
The Letter by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, created in 1865, is an oil painting on canvas depicting a woman. The museum's records list the piece under the exhibition history titled "Corot 1796-1875."
Context
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot's The Letter, executed in 1865, represents a significant contribution to his late genre painting output. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recognized as a depiction of a solitary woman. Its inclusion in the major exhibition history titled Corot 1796-1875 underscores its importance within the broader survey of the artist's career and the evolution of his style during the mid-nineteenth century.
As an oil on canvas measuring 54.6 by 36.2 centimeters, the piece exemplifies Corot's continued engagement with intimate, domestic subjects alongside his renowned landscapes.
Overview
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot painted The Letter in 1865, employing oil on canvas. The composition presents a solitary woman seated in a dim interior, absorbed in reading a piece of correspondence. The work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and is generally linked to the Realist tendencies that marked Corot’s later career.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (UK: KORR-oh, US: kə-ROH, kor-OH; French:; 16 July 1796 – 22 February 1875), or simply Camille Corot, was a French landscape and portrait painter as well as a printmaker in etching.
