I learned much about a renowned American artist by the name of John Singer Sargent. Although he was born in Italy, his family was originally from New England and along with his mother they returned in 1876. Hitherto unfamiliar to me,Singer Sargent accomplished many great things throughout his life. Some of these things included beautiful paintings consisting of portraits, murals, and water paintings. He did a remarkable job at diversifying his work of arts with numerous different cultures. This could attributed to his many travels throughout Europe including cities in Spain, London, and even Paris.
Reading about the life of Singer Sargent has taught that painting isn’t as simple as it seems. I requires years of learning, practice, and apprenticing. In addition to that you need to travel around the world to learn from past generations of art to gather ideas and the need knowledge to create new pieces. He dedicated his whole life to art and that is something to be admired.
The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit is favorite painting of Singer Sargent’s. I love it for many reasons but mainly because of its simplicity. At a quick glance, one might be fooled that there’s not much to this picture, yet it’s so elegant and sophisticated. Further analyzing this picture you could see that there’s much more meaning to this picture than just four sisters in a room. Just by the way they are drawn you could predict their personalities, the way they treat each other, and the way they live their lives. Nothing like a painting that holds the potential to tell you more than words could.
I also agree on your thoughts on the painting “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit”. The painting is simple, but it brings a lot of different speculations on the four girls. What is their personality, what are they thinking at this moment, and how do they treat each other?
I also really like “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit.” Its simplicity does help it convey beauty. However, I wouldn’t call it “elegant and sophisticated.” I girl I am personally drawn to look at first in the one who appears to be the youngest and is sitting on the ground. I believe Sargent intended this girl to be the focus of this painting. If my assumption is true, than Sargent is having the view focus on the girl who is the least elegant and sophisticated. She is on the floor playing with a door. Perhaps, I am over analyzing the painting, but I think this means Sargent is criticizing young woman who are too focus on being serious, such as the two standing in the dark.
I actually found myself drawn to the girl furthest to the left. I feel like she is a child that was brought down to say hello to the guests but wants nothing more than to leave and play. Of all the sisters, she is the only one that seems to me to be a bit uncomfortable. The two sisters in the background have paired up (with matching outfits too) and take comfort in each other’s company though one may be too shy to face the audience. The youngest girl in the middle is occupied with her doll, glancing up like she was just interrupted mid-play but not uncomfortable. I wouldn’t say that the painting is as simple as Sargent’s other portraits with the variety of additions (furniture, outfits, the doll) to the background and characters. But I definitely agree that this painting captures your attention and there is much more there than meets the eye.
I also found it extremely intriguing how Sargent devoted his life to deeply into art that he spent a tremendous amount of time traveling in order to perceive and experience as much of the world as he could and further improve his artwork. That dedication is baffling to me.
As for “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit”, I totally agree with you in that the portrait, without expressing any words, depicts the personality of each girl. For example, the two girls that are holding hands are the farthest away from the spectator. One of them isn’t even looking in the same direction as the rest. This indicates to me that her personality may be nonchalant and uninterested, and that those two might have a closer relationship than with their other sisters.
I agree with you on your description of painting. Even though a certain scene might seem simple odds are it took the artist many hours to complete it. There is something admirable in the dedication it takes for a painter to complete his art as there are no shortcuts in doing so. Every single brush stroke must be thought out and every color balanced against the rest of the painting. To be completely honest how someone can do that is beyond me. You bring up a good point how often times, even in an orderly scene there is a lot of complexity. The artist must manage to capture personality and emotion through mere pigments.
I agree that it takes lots of time and dedication to become a remarkable painter and I admire Sargent for constantly seeking new knowledge about how best to perfect his craft.
Also, I love how The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit conveys personalities and relationship dynamics between the sisters in such a simple yet powerful way. Just the positioning of each girl gives us special insight about them; we can tell who gets along with who and how their relationship really works behind the closed doors.
Borys, you might want to re-check the artists name.