While best know for his landscapes, French painter Camille Corot nonetheless left in his wake a considerable number of rarely exhibited yet highly sought figure paintings. And while Corot initially used these oil studies to improve the quality of his free composition for later historical and narrative landscapes, it was not long before his figure paintings became autonomous works, prized for their direct portrayal of emotional and spiritual states. Standing out in Corot's creative output is the remarkable oil painting "A Girl Reading." This volume puts this impressive painting into context...