(Owosso, Michigan, 1874 - 1939, Le Mesnil-sur-Blangy, France)
1912-1915
Oil on canvas
36 1/8 x 35 in. (91.7 x 88.9 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Bequest of Edwin C. Shaw
1955.28
Painted in Giverny, where Monet spent the last years of his life, this Impressionist painting is more of an exploration of the effects of light than a portrait of a specific person. While it is beautiful, this painting also suggests how some men viewed women at the turn of the century. In this piece, as in many other paintings from the era, women are portrayed as blissfully contented with domestic activity.