
In Tate Britain
- Artist
- Walter Richard Sickert 1860–1942
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 1524 × 1124 mm
frame: 1741 × 1340 × 110 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by the Contemporary Art Society 1924
- Reference
- N03846
Display caption
The title of this painting means ‘boredom’ in French. Sickert suggests the strained relationship between the figures by their lack of communication. Despite being close together, the man and woman face in opposite directions, staring off into space. They appear almost trapped in their surroundings. The furnishings reinforce the theme, in particular the bell jar containing stuffed birds, suggesting a suffocating environment. Sickert’s works give us no moral or narrative certainty. He leaves it up to us to interpret the image.
Gallery label, August 2020
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