Young Woman with Her Hand over Her Mouth
ca. 1875
Medium
Oil colors freely mixed with turpentine on canvas
Dimensions
16 1/4 × 13 1/8 in. (41.3 × 33.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, 2018
Accession Number
2018.289.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas's *Young Woman with Her Hand Her Mouth* (ca. 1875) captures an intimate moment of quiet emotion, a hallmark of the artist's fascination with everyday human gestures. Painted during the height of Impressionism—though Degas preferred the term "realist"—this portrait reflects his shift toward modern subjects, moving beyond traditional poses to depict a young woman in a candid, almost secretive stance. Her hand gently covering her mouth suggests surprise, contemplation, or playful restraint, inviting viewers to ponder her inner world amid the social changes of late 19th-century France....
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...