Ducks at Rest on the Bank

"Ducks at Rest on the Bank" is a notable print by Berthe Morisot, executed in 1889. This intimate study of nature demonstrates the artist's late-career engagement with the print medium. The work is a drypoint executed on laid paper, a technique that emphasizes the immediate, sketch-like quality characterizing much of her output during the highly productive French Impressionist period. The drypoint method involves scratching directly into the plate with a sharp needle, yielding soft, velvety burrs that define the forms and textures visible in the final impression.

Morisot, a central figure in the Impressionist movement active from 1876 to 1900, often focused her attention on domestic scenes, gardens, and private studies of animals and children, bringing a distinctive lightness and spontaneity to her subjects. This piece captures a quiet moment of observation: several ducks resting peacefully along a dimly defined riverbank or pond edge. Unlike her major oil paintings, this small-scale print quickly establishes Morisot’s mastery over line and shadow, allowing her to capture these ephemeral natural forms with swift economy. The subject matter reflects the Impressionist tendency to elevate everyday life and common landscapes into serious artistic study.

Though perhaps lesser known than her celebrated oils and watercolors, Morisot produced a small but highly significant body of graphic works. Her explorations in etching and drypoint allowed her to experiment with pure line, achieving textures and densities distinct from her painted surfaces. The subtle details and compositional balance of this piece demonstrate her continuous technical refinement. This work is a key example of late-nineteenth-century graphic art and is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. The accessibility of such historical prints today benefits students and researchers, particularly where high-resolution images of these masterworks have entered the public domain.