Berthe Morisot (in Black)
Not on view
These prints show the extent to which Manet experimented with his painted compositions in graphic media. Each offers a variation on the original portrait, emphasizing a different aspect. In the etching (far right), the artist lowered one of Morisot’s shoulders, so she seems to lean forward, giving her a more intense bearing. The lithograph in silhouette, although more radical in appearance, is most loyal to the contours of the painting. Manet took a freer approach to drawing the lithograph in black, emphasizing the vigorous crayon marks and rendering her face like a mask, with eyes simplified to solid dots.