Young Woman with Her Hand over Her Mouth 1870 - 1880

Curator: Edgar Degas's oil painting, "Young Woman with Her Hand over Her Mouth," believed to be from around 1870-1880, immediately strikes me with its melancholic air. The palette seems almost muted. What feelings does this conjure for you? Editor: It's the intimacy, isn’t it? The almost confrontational proximity. Her red-rimmed eyes...you can almost feel the tremor in her hands. I see a painting that refuses the artifice of the portrait; this is a stolen, vulnerable moment. Curator: Degas was incredibly invested in the social realities of his time. One could argue that "Young Woman with Her Hand over Her Mouth" encapsulates some tension experienced by young women, particularly considering his work with milliners and laundresses. How do we locate her, or perhaps many like her, in a broader historical tapestry? Editor: Well, if the social context is Degas's point of entry, he renders that context with an extraordinarily fine and frankly, weird sense of empathy. It feels like the oil paint is thick with feeling...an echo of something difficult. Curator: Right, and let’s think about his artistic choices, the application of the oil paint—the rough and sketch-like quality. His process, a break from academic precision, lends that emotional authenticity. Editor: Yes, this isn't some aristocratic fantasy of leisure! She feels immediate, as if she turned her head away just before we began staring. There’s also this underlying challenge: What did she witness? Why the suppression of emotion? Or expression? Curator: Ultimately, perhaps, Degas leaves that intentionally unanswered. Instead, he makes us participants in that ambiguity. The sitter's material situation—evidenced perhaps in her attire—hints at a more complex narrative. Editor: An unfinished statement from someone finding themselves on the margins. Her muted expression makes for powerful and unforgettable artwork.