Young Woman in Interior by Richard E. Miller

Richard E. Miller
1875-1943 | American

Young Woman in Interior

Signed “Miller” (lower right)
Oil on canvas

Richard E. Miller’s Young Woman in Interior exemplifies the artist’s exceptional mastery of light, color and feminine beauty that established him as one of the most significant American artists of the early 20th century. This captivating work transports viewers to an intimate domestic scene where a young woman, seated at a window overlooking her garden, delicately stirs her tea in a moment of quiet contemplation.

This colorful composition demonstrates Miller’s sophisticated technique through its masterful contrasts—the sweeping folds of the subject’s dark skirt juxtaposed against the sunlit foliage beyond the window, the luminous rendering of her smooth hands and bare shoulders against the energetic brushwork of her garments. These elements create a visual symphony that captures the fleeting quality of light and atmosphere so prized by the Impressionists.

Miller developed his distinctive artistic voice during his time in Paris at the end of the 19th century, where he was immersed in the vibrant artistic circles of the period. Unlike many American artists who merely adopted European styles, Miller cultivated a personal approach to Impressionism that would define his oeuvre. This evolution reached its peak when he settled in Giverny, France—the legendary artist colony where Claude Monet and numerous other luminaries lived and worked. It was amid this creative community of the “Giverny Luminists” where Miller refined his signature subject: young beauties in light-filled domestic settings, like this work.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Richard Edward Miller emerged as one of America’s most significant Impressionist painters through his extraordinary sensitivity to light and feminine beauty. After training at Washington University’s School of Fine Arts, Miller moved to Paris for nearly fifteen years, where his technical virtuosity earned him acceptance at the prestigious Paris Salon by 1901, and eventually to Giverny where his mature style fully flourished. Following his return to America during World War I, he taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before settling in Provincetown, Massachusetts, garnering numerous accolades including gold medals at the St. Louis Universal Exposition (1904) and Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915). Today, his works grace the permanent collections of prestigious institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

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Circa 1910-11

Canvas: 35 5/8″ high x 28 1/4″ wide (90.49 x 71.76 cm)
Frame: 45 5/8″ high x 38 1/4″ wide x 2 3/4″ deep (115.89 x 97.16 x 6.99 cm)

Provenance:
Collection of the artist
Alexander M. Hudnut, acquired from the above
Walter P. Chrysler Jr., New York, Chrysler Museum of Art, Provincetown, MA, 1966
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1980
Brand Galleries, San Francisco
Private Collection, acquired from the above, 1982
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Exhibited:
(Possibly) New York, Macbeth Gallery, Exhibition of Paintings by Richard E. Miller, April 1-20, 1912, no. 4 (as A Dish of Tea)