plate no. 4589

Bust of Alice Gamby

oil, canvasImpressionismportraitportraitfiguredressfoliageindooryoung woman

what to study here

It shows a compressed value range and three distinct edge treatments, face, foliage and dress, working together in one small portrait.

The useful lesson here is how one painting handles three different levels of finish. The face gets the most care: edges are soft and well blended, and the modeling comes from gentle transitions, not contour lines. Light comes from the upper left, so the right side of the face sits in subtle shadow, and the warm mid-tone there (about #b19781) carries reflected warmth. The background foliage is loose, with visible directional strokes laid wet-into-wet in deep greens and browns, so it reads as a dark envelope and not as individual leaves. The dress sits between the two: a defined silhouette, with folds in pale blue, lavender and cream that follow the form. Check the value range as well. It is compressed, with no pure white and no jet black, only warm lights against cool darks. The dress is the lightest local value, and the face is the brightest form. Squint and the whole thing resolves into three zones: dark background, lit face and neck, pale dress. A small pink flower at upper left adds a secondary accent.

key decision

The painter kept the background as a dark, loosely brushed envelope of greens and browns so the softly modeled face reads as the brightest form. The dress stays the lightest local value, built from varied pale tints.

From the record

Inception: 1890
Materials: oil paint, canvas

Wikidata item Q133239016

recreation guide

Bust of Alice Gamby (1890) is a portrait by Berthe Morisot that exemplifies her late Impressionist style, characterized by a transition from short, rapid strokes to long, sinuous brushwork that defines form (Source 4). The work likely reflects Morisot’s practice of working from preliminary drawings before applying oil paint, a method she adopted after 1885 (Source 4). As a portrait, its intent is to achieve a recognizable likeness of the sitter, serving as a record of her appearance (Source 3). Morisot’s technique in this period often involved painting on unprimed canvases to allow the canvas to show through, increasing the sense of spontaneity, particularly at the outer edges which were often left unfinished (Source 4).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

4 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Unprimed canvas	To allow the canvas texture to show through, creating spontaneity and transparency, consistent with Morisot's practice around 1880-1890.	Raw linen or cotton canvas, unprimed or lightly sized with rabbit skin glue if necessary for stability, but left without white gesso.
Oil paints	Primary medium for the portrait.	High-quality tube oils (linseed or poppy seed oil binder).
White pigment (Lead White or Titanium White)	Morisot made expansive use of white, often barely tinted, to harmonize paintings and create transparency.	Titanium White (for opacity) or Zinc White (for transparency), though historically Lead White was standard.
Drawing media (charcoal, pencil, or pastel)	For preliminary drawings, which Morisot used extensively before starting oil paintings after 1885.	Vine charcoal, graphite, or soft pastels.
Turpentine or solvent	To thin paints for initial layers or glazing if employed.	Odorless mineral spirits or turpentine.

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should likely be left unprimed or minimally prepared. Morisot began painting on unprimed canvases around 1880, a technique she shared with Manet and Eva Gonzalès (Source 4). This allows the ground to show through, contributing to the lightness and spontaneity characteristic of her work. If the canvas is too absorbent, a very light sizing may be applied, but no white gesso ground should be used, as this would contradict the 'unfinished' edge aesthetic and transparency she sought (Source 4).

underdrawing

Morisot worked mostly from preliminary drawings before beginning her oil paintings after 1885 (Source 4). The artist should create a detailed drawing of the bust using charcoal or pastel on the unprimed canvas. This drawing serves as the structural foundation, allowing the subsequent oil application to focus on color and light rather than form-finding. The drawing should capture the likeness accurately, as portrait painting aims for a recognizable record of the sitter (Source 3).

underpainting

While Morisot’s specific underpainting method for this work is not explicitly detailed in the sources, her general practice involved using barely tinted whites to harmonize the painting (Source 4). A thin, monochromatic or limited-color underlayer using white and perhaps a neutral tone could be applied to establish values. Alternatively, given her use of white to create transparency, the artist might begin directly with the white-dominated areas, letting the unprimed canvas serve as the mid-tone ground. If a grisaille approach is chosen, it should be kept thin to allow the canvas texture to remain visible (Source 7, Source 4).

color palette

White / Barely Tinted White

White lead (historical) or Titanium/Zinc white mixed with minimal pigment.

Harmonizing the painting, creating transparency, and defining highlights. Morisot made expansive use of white (Source 4).

Limited Earth Tones

Ochres, umbers, and siennas.

General use in this artist's palette. Morisot’s color palette was somewhat limited, and she kept the use of color to a minimum when constructing a motif, inspired by Manet (Source 4).

Complementary Accents

Small amounts of blue, red, or green depending on the subject's clothing and lighting.

Modifications of tone and color received from contiguous colors, adhering to the law of simultaneous contrast (Source 1).

composition

The composition is a bust portrait, focusing on the head and shoulders. Morisot characteristically left the outer edges of her paintings unfinished, allowing the canvas to show through (Source 4). The artist should avoid hard borders around the figure, letting the forms dissolve into the unprimed background. The sense of space and depth should be created through the use of color rather than linear perspective (Source 4).

step by step

underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Create a preliminary drawing of Alice Gamby on the unprimed canvas using charcoal or pastel. Focus on accurate likeness and proportions.
Tip — Ensure the drawing is secure but not so heavy that it obscures the canvas texture. Morisot worked from drawings after 1885 (Source 4).
Preliminary drawing

first pass

step 02
Apply thin layers of oil paint, starting with the white and light tones. Use long, sinuous brushstrokes to define form, consistent with her 1888-89 style.
Tip — Avoid over-modeling. Morisot’s brushwork became looser around 1880 (Source 4).
Sinuous brushwork

refining

step 03
Introduce limited color accents. Use barely tinted whites to harmonize the painting. Pay attention to simultaneous contrast, where colors affect each other.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may see colors inaccurately due to mixed contrast; check colors frequently (Source 1).
Simultaneous contrast

finishing

step 04
Leave the outer edges unfinished, allowing the unprimed canvas to show through. Ensure the sense of spontaneity is maintained.
Tip — Do not paint to the very edge of the canvas. The 'unfinished' look is intentional (Source 4).
Unfinished edges

critical techniques

Sinuous Brushwork

In 1888-89, Morisot’s brushstrokes transitioned to long, sinuous ones that define form, replacing earlier short, rapid strokes.

Unprimed Canvas

Painting on unprimed surfaces allows the canvas to show through, increasing spontaneity and transparency.

Use of White

Expansive use of white, often barely tinted, to harmonize the painting and create transparency.

Simultaneous Contrast

Awareness that contiguous colors modify each other’s appearance, requiring the painter to perceive and imitate these modifications promptly.

common pitfalls

→Over-modeling the form: Morisot’s later work is characterized by loose, sinuous strokes, not tight finish. Avoid smallness and over-detailing (Source 2, Source 4).
→Ignoring simultaneous contrast: Failing to account for how adjacent colors affect each other can lead to inaccurate color perception (Source 1).
→Priming the canvas fully: Using a white gesso ground would contradict Morisot’s practice of using unprimed canvases to show texture and spontaneity (Source 4).
→Using a broad, vivid palette: Morisot’s palette was limited; she kept color use to a minimum when constructing motifs (Source 4).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific color choices for Alice Gamby’s clothing and skin tones are not described in the sources; the artist must rely on general knowledge of Morisot’s limited palette and the sitter’s actual appearance if available.
·The exact preliminary drawing technique (charcoal vs. pastel) is not specified, only that she used various drawing media (Source 4).
·The specific lighting conditions of the original sitting are not described, which affects the application of simultaneous contrast principles.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Simultaneous contrast — applied to Color mixing and perception adjustments.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- On Copying — applied to Warning against over-modeling and smallness.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Berthe Morisot↗
- Style and technique — applied to Brushwork style, unprimed canvas, use of white, preliminary drawings, and unfinished edges.
Wikipedia: Portrait painting↗
- Portrait painting — applied to Intent of likeness and record.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A young woman in three-quarter profile sits against a dramatically darkened background of loosely rendered foliage. Soft, directional light streams from the upper left, gently modeling the pale face and neck while leaving the right side in subtle shadow. The eye enters through the sharply defined face, then travels down the elegant column of the neck to the luminous white-mauve dress, which glows against the deep greens and browns of the background. Behind her, delicate pink flowers peek through the foliage at upper left, adding a secondary color accent.

value structure

The painting organizes around three distinct value zones: deep, almost black-green shadows dominating the background (left and right edges, upper portions), the face and neck as the bright-to-mid values at the focal point, and the dress as the lightest local value despite its cool tone. The tonal range is compressed—there are no pure whites or jet blacks, only warm lights and cool darks—which creates an intimate, atmospheric feel. Squinting reveals the background recedes as a dark envelope while the face pops as the brightest form.

observed palette and mixes

#1e211b
Ultramarine blue + raw umber + touch of viridian, darkened further
Deepest shadow areas in background foliage, left edge and upper regions
#313529
Viridian green + raw umber + ultramarine, mid-dark value
Most of the background foliage, mid-tone leaves and stems
#b19781
Yellow ochre + alizarin crimson + titanium white, warm mid-tone
Shadow side of the face, warm reflected light in cheeks, warm undertones throughout
#433a29
Raw umber + ultramarine + alizarin, warm dark
Shadows in the dress folds, darkest accents in background and hair
#776b5a
Yellow ochre + raw umber + white, muted warm neutral
Mid-tones of the dress, transition areas between light and shadow
#c3ab92
Titanium white + yellow ochre + touch of alizarin, warm pale tone
Highlight on forehead, cheekbone, nose, and neck; brightest areas of dress

edges and brushwork

The face receives the most precise handling—edges are subtle and well-blended, modeling achieved through soft transitions rather than hard contours. The background foliage is loosely painted with visible, directional strokes that suggest rather than define individual leaves; greens and browns are layered wet-into-wet to create atmospheric depth. The dress balances both approaches: the silhouette has definition, but the folds within are rendered with soft, impressionistic brushstrokes in varied tints of pale blue, lavender, and cream that follow the fabric's form rather than tracing every detail.

a working sequence

01
Compose and underpainting
Lightly map the head position in three-quarter view, tilting it slightly downward. Block in the neck and shoulder line; indicate the basic oval of the head and the angle of the shoulders. Using a thin wash of raw umber diluted with turpentine, establish the major value zones: dark for the background, mid-tone for the face and shoulders, light for the dress.
02
Build the background
Begin with the foliage using loose, gestural strokes of viridian and raw umber mixed to various greens and browns. Work darker on the left and upper edges, allowing lighter warm browns to emerge toward the lower center and right. Suggest form through directional brushstrokes rather than detail; let colors mingle on the canvas. Block in the small pink accent flower at upper left.
03
Establish the face
Lay in the local skin tone (yellow ochre + alizarin + white) across the entire face and neck as a foundation. Note the warm light hitting the left side of the face, cheek, and forehead. Block in the general position of features (eyes, nose, mouth) without refinement—focus on proportions and the tilt of the head.
04
Model the face with light and shadow
Develop the light plane of the face with cooler, lighter tones on the upper forehead and cheekbone closest to the light source. Add warmth and depth to the shadow side (right) of the face using the warmer tan mix (#b19781). Soften transitions between light and shadow planes; the modeling should feel atmospheric, not sculptural. Add the subtle pinkish cast under the cheek and along the jawline.
05
Paint the dress
Lay in the general silhouette and light/shadow division of the dress. Build the fabric with soft washes of pale lavender-blue (titanium white + touch of ultramarine + hint of alizarin) and warm cream tones (white + yellow ochre). Add delicate shadow folds using muted blue-grays and warmer browns; these strokes should follow the fabric's drape and form. Leave the brightest highlights (neck/shoulder area) nearly pure white-cream.
06
Refine the facial features and edges
Define the eyes with a fine round brush—note their gentle downward gaze and the soft shadow under each lid. Add the nose with subtle modeling rather than sharp lines; the mouth is rendered as a soft pink-brown line with barely suggested modeling. Refine the contour of the cheek and jaw, softening edges where they meet the background but keeping slight definition to separate face from foliage. Emphasize the light-struck neck.
07
Harmonize and finalize
Step back and assess the overall value and color harmony. Deepen background greens if the dress needs more luminosity to pop; soften any harsh edges between the dress and background. Add final touches of warm reflected light on the shadow side of the face and neck. Consider adding a few more delicate flowers or foliage accents upper left, but keep them suggested and subordinate to the portrait. The entire surface should feel unified and atmospheric.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Overworking the background foliage into defined leaves and stems instead of suggesting form with loose, directional brushstrokes—this kills the atmospheric quality and flattens the depth
Drawing the face too symmetrically or stiffly; the three-quarter view and gentle downward gaze require subtle asymmetry and a relaxed expression or the portrait feels wooden
Overblending the dress until it becomes featureless and dull; the fabric's luminosity depends on visible color variation, directional brushwork, and modulated tones rather than smooth surfaces
Misjudging the light source angle—if the warm light from upper left is flattened or shifted, the entire modeling of the face breaks and reads as flat or oddly lit
Making the background foliage uniformly the same green; the painting requires subtle shifts from cooler deep greens to warmer olive-browns and hints of darker reddish tones to prevent monotony and suggest atmospheric perspective

measured difficulty