The Open Door

Art Gallery of Ontario

The Open Door, around 1913, oil on canvas, Lent by Samuel & Esther Sarick. First, a moment to discuss the painting techniques which are hallmarks of these impressionist works that will be described in this exhibition. Impressionism is an art movement that was first named in France in the 1870s. Artists took their subject matter from contemporary life, and instead of using a highly realistic style of painting, artists created an ‘impression’ of what they saw through light and colour. In each of the audio described paintings the directionality of light is evident. The artists' techniques vary but can include thick layers of paint, visible brushstrokes such as cross hatching and the layering of colours. This work is 76 by 63 cm and in portrait orientation. The work is framed by a gold-coloured wood frame which is 8 cm wide and embellished with ornate carved curlicues. In The Open Door, a vibrantly painted thicket, viewed through a door which sits opened, takes up much of the left half of the painting. A white woman stands just inside the door on the right, focused on her sewing held in her hands. The colours in this piece are muted bluish greys with the exception of the brilliant bright yellows of the foliage, which is one the painting’s focal points. The woman is slim, young and dark haired with her hair pulled back and worn up. She wears a collared, white floor-length dress cinched at the waist with the sleeves folded to her elbows. Her back is to the door and her slightly raised shoulders are curled forward. Her mouth has fallen slightly open as she focuses on a small swatch of gauzy white fabric or lace. She holds the cloth up for examination close to her face, the tail end of which falls to her waist. Inside the door to her right is a dresser with a mirror that has a gold candlestick and silver metal kettle on it. Out the door, the lush tangle of bushes and a tree glistens with the daylight that filters inside and highlights the woman’s right shoulder, collar, knuckles and skirt. Leaves are indicated with a cross-hatched texture that fill the entire outdoor view. On the far left, on the back of the open door, hang a coat and hat. The woman’s short shadow is cast against the wooden floor. This work is paired with a Cassatt painting which hangs to its left and is called Young Girl at a Window. It features a young elegantly dressed woman sitting with her back to a window opened to the Paris skyline.