When I first saw this painting (at the RA Gauguin and impressionist exhibition), she seemed very Madonna like, with a background of the exact green Bellini used for his wonderful paintings of Mary and Jesus. The painting is are unfinished.. However, despite this it 'works' It is very beautiful: a depiction of a quiet activity. The model was Manet's fiancee but they didn’t marry for several years. Because it is unfinished she seems solid and fragile at the same time. The river in the background provides the movement that is not seen from the jug. She hasn’t quite tipped it enough for the water for flow. It seems to be an image of blessing, it is about pouring out into the bowl to be used. She not only has put water in a jug but is now dispensing it, letting it flow from something narrow with a handle into something wide and open. Jugs are fascinating and beautiful and I have found myself with a big collection, like this brass milk jug found in a shop in the Cotswolds. Another painting - here the milk flows in a simple white line. The task is given great dignity and beauty so that this woman's daily task can be pondered and enjoyed even for us today. A print of this hung in my Mother's kitchen and as I look at it afresh appreciate how well it suited that home, and her.
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