Young Saint John

Young Saint John by Berthe Morisot, created in 1890, exemplifies the artist’s mastery of pastel. This drawing, classified as a Drawing and rendered on pale blue laid paper, showcases the delicate, feathery technique that characterized her mature works. Morisot, a central figure in the French Impressionist movement, frequently utilized pastel, which allowed for swift execution and a translucent quality akin to watercolor, emphasizing light and atmosphere. The deliberate, broken application of color builds up volume while maintaining the distinct texture of the laid paper beneath. The selection of the pale blue ground provides a cool, luminous undertone, enhancing the vibrancy of the applied pigments and contributing to the light, airy atmosphere typical of works created in France during this pivotal artistic moment.

Although Morisot is best known for depicting scenes of contemporary domesticity and the lives of women and children, she occasionally turned to traditional subjects, reinterpreting the figure of Saint John the Baptist through a modern, secularized lens. The subject appears to be a contemplative child model, embodying innocence rather than overtly religious symbolism, consistent with Morisot’s focus on intimate figure studies. Her Impressionistic approach avoids the heavy academic formalism traditional for such subjects, focusing instead on capturing the immediate, luminous presence of the sitter. This piece offers valuable insight into the artist’s late career experiments with medium and subject. The work resides in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, preserving its cultural significance. For scholars and enthusiasts interested in studying this drawing further, prints and related images are often made accessible through public domain art initiatives.