“Stop and consider this lithograph, "Seen in a Mirror." The woman's direct gaze, framed by the reflective surface, challenges us to look closely and question what we truly see.”
A woman sits before a mirror, her gaze directed not at her own reflection, but out towards us, the viewers. Her face is shadowed, yet her eyes are bright, creating a sense of intimacy and direct engagement. The composition is stark, dominated by the large, circular mirror that frames her head and shoulders. This isn't a typical portrait; the mirror acts as a visual device, blurring the lines between what is seen and what is perceived. It invites us to consider the act of looking itself, and the way an image can both reveal and conceal. The lithographic technique, with its subtle gradations of tone, enhances the dreamlike quality of the scene, making the light seem to emanate from within the paper itself. Created in 1933, this work captures a quiet intensity, a moment of introspection made public.
- Artist
- John Copley
- Date
- 1933
- Medium
- Lithograph on blue-ish ivory laid paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 42 × 35 cm (16 9/16 × 13 13/16 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- England
- Credit line
- Gift of Earle Ludgin
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The woman's direct gaze, meeting your eyes through the mirror.
The way the mirror's edge cuts across her arm.
The subtle texture of the paper, visible in the darker areas.
The delicate shading on her face, creating a sense of depth.
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Piet Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Ivan Puni · 1931 · Art Institute of Chicago
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American Gothic
Okada Saburosuke · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Straße mit Passanten bei Nachtbeleuchtung
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1927 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same era · 1910s–1940s
The Indestructibles
Philip Evergood · 1946 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
In the Magic Mirror
Paul Klee · 1934 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
The Eye
René Magritte · 1932 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Untitled (Desert Landscape)
Salvador Dalí · 1934 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Garden Airplane-Trap
Max Ernst · 1935 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
The Red Armchair
Pablo Picasso · 1931 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Two Women on the Shore
Edvard Munch · 1935 · Munch Museum
Same era · 1910s–1940s
American Gothic
Grant Wood · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago