Goose

About this artwork

Berthe Morisot's *Goose* (1889) captures the everyday grace of a single bird in a masterful drypoint print on wove paper. As a leading figure in the Impressionist movement, Morisot brought her signature lightness and spontaneity to printmaking late in her career. This intimate work, measuring 14 x 10 15/16 inches, showcases her ability to distill nature's essence with fluid lines, evoking the fleeting beauty she championed in paintings like her renowned garden scenes. Drypoint, an intaglio technique where the artist scratches directly into a metal plate, produces velvety, textured lines from the burr raised by the needle—ideal for Morisot's soft, impressionistic touch. Unlike etched prints with precise grooves, drypoint's organic quality suited her experimental side, bridging her oil paintings and graphic works. Created just four years before her death, it reflects her innovative spirit amid the evolving art world of fin-de-siècle Paris. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1922 through the Rogers Fund and Jacob H. Schiff Bequest, *Goose* highlights Morisot's rare forays into printmaking, offering visitors a window into her versatile genius and the Impressionists' embrace of humble subjects. A charming study in simplicity, it invites contemplation of nature's quiet poetry.