The Sleep, 1890

About the Work

This painting is a of a woman and her infant sleeping side by side. Yet despite the close-up view, the blurry and sweeping mode of representation eludes the onlooker. The outlines of both figures can hardly be made out, and they appear to be floating in the dark. The soft focus and almost monochromatic palette of greys and browns – a trademark of the French Symbolist – communicate the intimacy of mother and child, while veiling them from the outside world. Images of mother and child form a substantial part of Carrière’s oeuvre.