1769
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Woman Reading is a 1769 unspecified by Nicolas Bernard Lépicié, a Rococo painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman sits at a desk, reading a book with one hand while holding a quill in the other. She wears a loose, light-colored dress with one shoulder bare, and her hair is pulled back simply. The desk holds an inkwell and a few scattered papers, with a dark green wall in the background. The way the light hits her face and the deep shadows on her neck show how the artist played with light and dark. This style was often used to create a sense of depth and drama. Look up *chiaroscuro* next to see how this technique works in other paintings.
Nicolas Bernard Lépicié (16 June 1735 – 15 September 1784) was a French painter and teacher of painting, the son of two well-known engravers at the time, François-Bernard Lépicié and Renée-Élisabeth Marlié.
See the richer artist page
