Playing in the Sand 1882

Berthe Morisot captured this intimate scene, ‘Playing in the Sand’, with oil on canvas. Notice the girl, a pitcher and a bucket. The objects invite us into the child's world, a world of play. The bucket and pitcher aren't just objects, but vessels of potential, much like the mind of a child. The vessel is an ancient symbol, it appears across cultures and epochs, from Ancient Greek amphorae, meant to contain and preserve, to reliquaries designed to hold sacred relics. The act of ‘containing’ resonates deeply, reflecting our psychological need to understand and organize our experiences. The girl is focused in her private world, her head bent, her body language is of an intense absorption. This emotional intensity is common in the depictions of children throughout art history, as seen in religious iconography, such as the innocent gaze of infant Christ. Symbols such as the vessel, the girl’s concentrated gaze, and the theme of innocence, echo through time, revealing the cyclical nature of human expression and understanding.