John Singer Sargent - Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

This painting puzzled critics when it was first exhibited with its strange arrangement and square format. Sargent was recently influenced by Velasquez and was experimenting with depth of field and single light sources to create some mystery. The daughters at the rear, dressed like servants, were more reclusive and had later mental health problems, it may seem casual but he was very picky about the composition and usually even chose his sitters' clothes.


John Singer Sargent - Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife

A restless portrait of the author, but in some ways more an abstract arrangment, the space again is not just a frame or backdrop for the sitter but suggesting something more. The red again....