The Reading Woman Boxed Notecards

She is finding escape from routine in the pages of a novel. Or searching the pages of a more serious work for a way to broaden her horizons or transform her life. Or poring over a letter from a loved one. The reading woman herself is a long, complex story that has fascinated generations of artists.

A book can stop time, transcend circumstances, conjure a world in which to lose oneself. The four paintings in this notecard assortment, all from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, achieve the same thing: just as the reading woman has temporarily set herself free from her life’s narrative, so can we leave ours as we contemplate her image.